When Ty Ann and Darrell Copeland lost their only child on
October 23, 2016, they were lost in grief. Loss is always difficult, but
to lose a child, regardless of age, is a tragedy beyond words. Calem
had already served four years in the U.S. Army, two of those years
in Afghanistan. At the time of the accident, which was an accidental
shooting, he was working as a security officer at Edwin I. Hatch
Nuclear Power Plant. As his parents struggled to move forward, Ty
Ann’s brother, Terry Dorsey,
made a suggestion. “You know
what would be good out there? A
wedding venue or a party house.”
“I didn’t think too much about
it,” said Ty Ann. But when she
mentioned it to her husband, she
was surprised to hear he thought it
was a good idea. The land, which
included a twelve-acre pond and a
thirty-acre spring-fed pond, held
many memories of time spent
hunting, fishing, swimming, jet
skiing in the pond, mud bogging
and riding four-wheelers with their
son Calem. Building a place where
people could gather there for
whatever the occasion felt right.
A venue would allow Ty Ann and
Darrell an opportunity to share
their son’s joy of life with others. A
place to gather could create many
opportunities for the sounds of
laughter and love to fill the silence
in Calem’s physical absence.
122 Toombs County Magazine
The Gathering Place sits
among the Copeland's 73
acres of land. An event space
and outdoor chapel are
perched on a 30-acre pond
providing a scenic venue for
weddings and parties.