John Coppola

Anne Turner Coppola

(9-17-1938 to 6-27-2012)

Anne Turner Coppola was born in Redford, New York, one of seven children. She was ten years old when her father died. When she was twelve, after her mother was hospitalized with severe depression, Anne was placed in a foster home in Plattsburgh, New York, where she lived until entering her first year of college. She attended D’Youville Academy, a Catholic school for girls, and was an academic honors student; she wrote a weekly article for the local newspaper and was valedictorian of her high school graduating class. She received several scholarships for her college training to be a teacher. While in college, she met and married her Air Force husband in 1958. She received her teaching degree from the State University of New York at Albany and her master’s degree from Rutgers University. She taught elementary, middle, and high school students at various schools, as she and her husband made their journey south to Staten Island, New York; Atlanta, Georgia; Miami, Florida; and finally, Sarasota, Florida. After her retirement from teaching, she served as president of her homeowner’s association and as ombudsman for the State of Florida, inspecting nursing homes to ensure quality care for patients. After battling breast cancer for eight years, she died in 2012.

Anne Turner Coppola was the author of three books written for middle grade and young adult children. Two years after her death, while preparing to sell their home, her husband found three manuscripts that she had written in 1993. Reviewing the stories, he believed they would have strong appeal to young readers, and decided to have them published. The stories, titled “Fly Away Free,” “The Last Panther,” and “The Ghost of the Dunes.” are all available at xlibris.com, amazon.com, pagepublishing.com, barnesandnoble.com, and other retail book outlets.