In Memoriam 

Barbara Denys Cope

August 8, 1944 – September 1, 2023

Barbara Denys Cope, known to her friends as Denys, passed in Santa Fe on September 1, 2023. Denys was born August 8, 1944, and grew up in Oakland and Piedmont, California. Denys was preceded in death by her father and mother Dr. Hal Cope and Lee Cope and her brothers Hal and Chris Cope. She is survived by her sister Laura Hess and her niece Teri Hess and grandnephew Liam. She attended Piedmont Schools and graduated from Piedmont High in 1962. In the 1960s, Denys received her RN in Oakland, California and her BSN in Chico, California. Denys was one of the first RNs trained in kidney dialysis where she worked for several years including a year in Amsterdam. 

In the 1970s, her career shifted to Shreveport, Louisiana and then to Santa Fe in the late 1980s where she found her lifes calling as a hospice nurse and a "end of life" coach. As part of her legacy, Denys authored a much beloved and respected book on the dying process, "Dying: A Natural Passage". The book has been distributed in hospices nationally and internationally and continues to be a guide for patients and their families about the final stages of life. In her thirty plus years in the Santa Fe community, she was loved by many and considered an amazing asset by colleagues and clients, giving from her heart with integrity and compassion. 

Denys will be missed but has left us with many memories and lessons learned. We in her Piedmont High School Class of 1962 will all miss her.