Whenever Dr. Henri Coppes arrived on site, carrying his field equipment in a pail, wearing his FOSA tee-shirt and a shade hat, the first thing you noticed was his smile. Invariably, he would be walking side-by-side toward the excavation units with this "digging partner" George Kinsella. The two were inseparable, hard workers and such a pleasure to have as part of the field crew. We all called him "Hank" and it took a while before any of us realized he was a highly respected Chief of Medicine at Milford Hospital, primarily because Dr. Coppes was soft-spoken, personable and never boasted about his life or career. Hank was there to participate in archaeology and spend time with the FOSA gang, not talk about himself. Yet, there was always something special about him that led us all to appreciate his intelligence and worldly experiences.

For the record, he was born in Enschede, Netherlands, one of ten children. He grew up with many hardships, including Nazi occupation of his country during World War II. After the war, he attended medical school in Amsterdam, immigrating to America in 1957. Completing residencies at hospitals in Meriden and Waterbury, CT, as well as Rochester, NY, Hank settled at Milford Hospital, remaining there for 35 years providing medical care for hundreds of patients and founding the Internal Medicine of Milford P.C. He passed away this summer on July 7, 2016 at the age 88.

Hank was an early participant in FOSA, joining the volunteer organization with a family membership in 2000 and remaining loyal ever since. He assisted in many field expeditions and attended all of the annual meetings. Accompanied by George Kinsella, together they made many contributions to the research, educational programs and rescue archaeology conducted by our office. Even in death Hank’s influence continues with FOSA receiving considerable contributions in his memory. The Rives Site was the last FOSA "dig" Hank assisted with three years ago, helping us mitigate archaeological resources threatened by a proposed condominium project in Westbrook, his hometown.

Dr. "Hank" Coppes was a truly caring and kind man. All FOSA members having the pleasure of working with him will miss him dearly. He was a true "amateur" archaeologist, referring the word to its Latin meaning as a person who "loves doing something." He loved being in the field, taking part in discoveries and we loved having Hank as a part of the FOSA family. To be acquainted with Hank on a personal level, made it easy to understand how he would have been a most compassionate and respected doctor. He was a great supporter of our work and his death is a loss for the entire FOSA community. Our heavy hearts go out to his family and to George, his "dig partner."