Wayland Coppedge, III

Wayland Thomas (Tommy) Coppedge III passed peacefully on September 8, 2022 after a brief bout with cancer. Tommy was a true Jacksonvillian, being born and raised in the River City - as was his father Wayland ‘Doc’ Coppedge, Jr.

Tommy attended the Bolles School before finishing high school at Darlington School in Rome, GA. He continued his education at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill, where he played on the football team and was a proud member of the Kappa Alpha Order.

After earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1969, he went to work for the family enterprise, Florida Towing Company. When the company was sold in the 1970’s, he charted a new course and completed an MBA degree from the University of North Florida in 1974. He then began a career in real estate development, completing numerous commercial and residential development projects throughout the 1970’s-80’s – most notably Hidden Hills Country Club and Mill Cove Golf Club (now Blue Sky Golf Club). He served on the City of Jacksonville Planning Commission from 1983-1988 (Chairman 1986-1988), and on the Jacksonville Port Authority as Chairman of the Marine Division (1989-1990).

Later in life, he found his true calling as an educator at the University of North Florida where he served as an Associate Instructor of Economics at the Coggin College of Business, from 1994-2021. He found true joy in teaching and impacting the lives of his students, while imparting his deeply held views on the economy and public policy. He was voted the Student’s Choice educator of the year in Economics in 2002, 2003, and 2008. As he would often say, his primary job was to “push back the frontiers of ignorance.”

In his spare time, Tommy was an avid fisher, golfer and a die-hard Florida Gators fan. Along with his father and son, he attended nearly every home game and many away games for the better part of 30 years. The pinnacle of this fandom was the 1997 Sugar Bowl, where his beloved Gators trounced Florida State 52-20 to claim the National Championship.

Tommy was a kind and loving man to all those who knew him. He is survived by his sister Mary (Muffin) Collier, son Joe Coppedge, Daughter-in-law Lisa, and grandchildren Laurel and Thomas. He was a devoted father and grandfather, who was always on-call for babysitting and attended every important event for his family. He also leaves behind a legion of former students that are now utilizing his teachings and making their way in the real world.

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers a memorial gift in Mr. Coppedge’s memory kindly be made to Episcopal School of Jacksonville, 4455 Atlantic Blvd., Jacksonville, FL 32207.  Please contact the family for service details.