Gary Cooper

Gary Lee Cooper, 78, of Romney, was welcomed into Heaven on February 5, 2021 after a long and valiant fight against Covid-19 at Franciscan East Hospital. He was born July 5, 1942 in Owen County, Indiana to Margaret E. (Summerlot) Cooper. He was a 1961 graduate of Bainbridge High School. Shortly after graduation, he began working for IBM where he retired 40 years later. He enjoyed working as a Customer Service Engineer while serving his IBM customers. On June 15, 1963, he married Marian D. (Hinton) Cooper who he called the love of his life. They shared 57 years together and he loved caring for her each day. They made their church home at the Colfax Christian Church where they made many friends. Along with his wife Marian, he is survived by 2 children, Peggy Cooper-Smith (Chris) of West Lafayette and Michael Cooper of Romney, and several grandchildren: Dakota McKinley (Dylan), Cheyenne Coomer (Jeffrey), Samantha Cooper and Cason Smith; a sister, Rose Ada Wood of Greencastle, IN and a brother, Estel L. Cooper of Arizona. Gary also had many nieces, nephews and cousins who he loved dearly. Family was very important to Gary and he enjoyed all family gatherings. Gary loved making others smile by sharing a joke or giving a compliment. He made friends wherever he went and didn’t know a stranger. He enjoyed his daily visits at the YMCA and playing computer games to keep his mind sharp. He looked forward to the annual Summerlot Reunion and Bainbridge High School alumni banquets. He loved the Lord and lived his life to serve Christ. His kind and loving spirit will be remembered by those who were lucky enough to know him. He was preceded in death by two brothers, Kenneth and Lyle Cooper; and two sisters, Phyllis Logelin and Ella Minnick. A walk-through visitation will be held at Colfax Christian Church, 314 Clark St., Colfax, IN from 12:00 PM until a private family service at 1:00 PM Thursday February 11, Pastor Paul Del Valley officiating. The family requests memorials be directed to Franciscan East Hospital Staff Care Fund. Hahn-Groeber Funeral Home of Lafayette is honored to care for the Cooper family. Please leave memories and condolences at www.hahngroeberfuneralhome.com