A Tribute to Karen Copeland

Lisa Partridge
CEO, XYPRO Technology

In 2017 The Connection Magazine published a series called Women in NonStop. I was interviewed about my experiences as a woman in technology and specifically in the Tandem/HPE NonStop ecosystem. An excerpt:

I am also very lucky to do this all in the NonStop/Tandem space. It’s visibly very strong in contributions by women. I never felt like there weren’t role models for me in the Tandem space. I only had to look around. When I came to the States, you’ve got Wendy Bartlett, Karen Copeland, Rita Wells, Sheila Johnson, Janice Reeder-Highleyman and so many other exceptional women. It’s normal.

Recently, we lost one of these exceptional Tandem/HPE NonStop women. Karen Copeland’s passing was unexpected and immediately I was in a state one often finds when we realize someone we’ve known and relied on for so long, simply won’t be there anymore.

Karen Copeland, Manager of HPE NonStop Product Management was with Tandem Computers and the NonStop Division of HPE for almost 40 years. For a long time, Karen was also XYPRO’s HPE Partner Manager. She was a great mentor to her many teams over the decades and we extend our deepest sympathies for their loss.

Karen introduced new and cooperative ways of working with NonStop partners and was a highly effective liaison between so many groups of people within and external to the NonStop ecosystem. The partner community was very important to Karen. She was creative and supportive, providing all of us opportunities to thrive while ensuring the NonStop Customer base got what they needed to do business, be competitive and take advantage of modern technologies.

Karen, along with long-time friends and colleagues like Wendy Bartlett, worked tirelessly with the team at Connect Worldwide and volunteer leaders at Regional NonStop User Groups, putting on excellent global NonStop User events. She really cared about showing HPE’s commitment to the community and making it valuable for the customers.

Personally and professionally, I consider myself lucky to have had Karen’s influence, guidance, and support. She was tough but fair and knew how to get things done. I learned a lot.

Karen was also pretty funny and enjoyed a little Johnnie Walker Blue. She was a very proud stepmother and loved her cats. A great cook, Karen loved preparing Italian meals for large family gatherings. She was really into her music and loved singing “garage band” style. There are so many things that make up a whole life. We’ll all miss you, Karen.