Dana Coppin, 34-year-old Fargo massage therapist, Dies

Dana Coppin, a 34-year-old massage therapist and mother of two from Fargo, North Dakota, died on October 29, 2026, Boulger Funeral Home reported, leaving behind her husband, Lucas Zipfel, their sons Eli and Theo, her parents, and a wide circle of family and friends.

Born July 20, 1992, in Jamestown, North Dakota, to Mark and Rachel Coppin, Dana grew up in the same town where she was born and graduated from Jamestown High School in 2010. Those who knew her describe a person whose defining trait was an easy ability to make others feel welcome, and that quality followed her through every chapter of a life cut short at 34.

A Life Built Around Caring for Others

Dana carried that same warmth into her work as a massage therapist at Pure Bliss Massage and Wellness in Fargo, where her gentle nature made her profession something more than a job. On January 18, 2020, she married Lucas Zipfel, and together they built a family that included two sons, Eli and Theo. Of all the roles she filled, the obituary says, none brought her greater happiness or pride than being a mother.

She was also a devoted sister, daughter, cousin, and friend, and her compassion extended beyond people to animals, which she advocated for and rescued. She was preceded in death by her sister Nicole Coppin, her paternal grandparents Allen and Greta Coppin, and her maternal grandparents Arvid and Adeline Anderson.

What Remains When a Life Is Measured in Love

Survived by her husband, her two sons, her parents Mark and Rachel Coppin of Fargo, and her brother Josh and sister-in-law Jillian Coppin, along with nephew Thorin and niece Eira, Dana leaves behind not only grief but a specific kind of legacy: the memory of someone whose presence made people feel comfortable and loved from the first meeting. What her family now faces is the long work of raising Eli and Theo with the love she poured into their lives, and holding onto the moments, big and small, that they shared. How a community that knew her as sunshine carries that light forward is the question her passing leaves open.

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