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Couple with military backgrounds are selling their Lake Norman mansion for $3.65M

Ralph and Kimberly Coppola immediately felt at home when they discovered Lake Norman while visiting friends in Mooresville.

A living area of the mansion is shown in this photograph.
A living area of the mansion is shown in this photograph. Cameron Glenn, Skyvisions CANOPY MLS

They learned of the area’s large population of active-duty military and veterans, for one. Both have military backgrounds and love helping veterans.

Ralph Coppola’s father was a lightweight champion boxer in the Army during World War II, and Kimberly Coppola is a Marine Corps veteran once stationed in Cherry Point on the North Carolina coast.

Second, they loved the serenity of the lake.

In 2020, they bought a mansion off Brawley School Road in southern Iredell County.

Built in 2018, the home is perched on .75 acres at 251 Gainswood Drive, with 174 feet of shoreline and 4,514 square feet of living space.

Ralph Coppola was CEO of a subsidiary of global manufacturer Dover Corporation.

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From the home’s windows and screened-in porch, he’s enjoyed watching the wildlife, including deer that swim across their section of the lake.

His wife soon began volunteering with the Patriot Military Family Foundation, a Mooresville-based nonprofit that supports veterans, active-duty service members and their families in and around North Carolina.

This is the dock of the Lake Norman mansion for sale at 251 Gainswood Drive in Mooresville.
This is the dock of the Lake Norman mansion for sale at 251 Gainswood Drive in Mooresville. Cameron Glenn, Skyvisions CANOPY MLS

While they love North Carolina and Lake Norman, however, they’re looking for a warmer environment and listed their home on Jan. 2 for $3.65 million, said co-listing agents Haley Fay and Julie Cash of Coldwell Banker Realty in the Carolinas.

The home is on “a very peaceful lot,” as Fay said Ralph Coppola described the property.

According to its listing, the mansion includes a covered dock, circular driveway and bright and spacious main-level rooms with panoramic windows.

Other features include an elevator, fine finishes, and a four-car garage with room for a lift.

A staircase with wrought-iron railing leads to the upper level of the mansion that includes a home theater, office, three bedrooms and two bathrooms.

“A beautiful waterfront and home,” Fay said about what attracted the Coppolas to the mansion.

This story was originally published January 11, 2023 at 12:19 PM.

Joe Marusak
The Charlotte Observer
Joe Marusak has been a reporter for The Charlotte Observer since 1989 covering the people, municipalities and major news events of the region, and was a news bureau editor for the paper. He currently reports on breaking news. Support my work with a digital subscription
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