Kim Papenfuss Copley, 52 of Teton, passed away joyfully after a short battle with cancer on July 14, 2020. She was surrounded in love by family, friends, neighbors and students the last weeks of her life.

Kim was born in Rexburg, Idaho on December 15, 1967 to Ken and Laida Papenfuss. She was the youngest of 6 kids. She grew up in Burton, attending Burton and Hibbard elementary schools, Madison Jr High and Madison High School. She spent the summers working with her family in their green house and their store, Pappy's. She graduated from Madison High School in 1986 and attended Ricks College in 1986-88.

She served a LDS mission in the New Jersey Morristown mission from 1988-1990. It helped her prepare for the rest of her life. She received a teaching degree in business from Utah State. Her first teaching job was at Manila Jr/Sr High School in Utah from 1994-1999. She came to love the people there, especially the students. When she left, she didn't know if she'd ever love students the way she loved them.

She married her eternal companion, Frej Copley, September 9, 1999 in the Vernal, Utah LDS Temple. Soon after they moved to the apartments above Pappy's store then a house in Teton, Idaho. Three wonderful kids soon followed; McCaslin, Kenneth and Axel.

Kim went to the Grand Canyon University in 2004 to get her Master of Arts in Education. She went back and received a Master of Administration in 2007.

Kim started working at Sugar-Salem High school in the fall of 2000. The people she was able to work with every day, the support she got from faculty, staff and administration and the students she taught all contributed to having the best job in the world. She couldn't have asked for a better second home. She enjoyed having her kids in the same high school she was at, having them and friends visit at lunch and during class. Her classroom became a safe place for the students. She taught business, yearbook and scrapbooking classes. She could always be found with a camera in hand documenting the events she attended for the yearbook. She was also the BPA advisor and was able to take several students on trips across the country. Kim loved watching her kids participate in local sports. The kids on their teams became their second family. She was a member of the Idaho Business Education Association and served for several years as their secretary.

She was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served in many callings and has a firm testimony of the Gospel and her Savior. She knew that Heavenly Father has a plan for us, which was strengthened in the last few months of her life as she saw many miracles and tender mercies in her and her family's lives.

Kim is survived by her caring husband Frej and her children, McCaslin, Kenneth and Axel all of Teton, Idaho; her siblings, Kenneth Jr. (Trish), Kathleen (Dan), Kurt (Lisa), Keith (Rebecca), and Karen (Rick); and many loving nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents.
In lieu of flowers, Kim would like you to reach out to a friend, do a random act of kindness, pay for the person in line behind you and always love one another.

The Kim Copley Memorial Fund has been set up to help pay for Kim's funeral and help her children. Donations may be made at any Beehive Federal Credit Union.

The viewing will be at Bert Flamm Mortuary (581 E. 1st N.) in St. Anthony on Sunday, July 19 from 5:30-7:30 pm. There will be no viewing the day of the funeral. The funeral will be held Monday, July 20, 11 am at the Sugar-Salem High School Football Field. At all services please follow social distancing protocol by wearing a mask and households sitting 6 feet apart.