Obituary of Charles Albert Cooper

Charles Albert Cooper was unconditionally dedicated to his wife, to his family, and to his country. Married to Kathleen Marie (Kunde) Cooper for 67 years, he benefited from her loving support while he provided strength, energy, and financial resources throughout their life together. Mr. Cooper joined his wife, who passed away on September 12, 2008, in enthusiastically encouraging their three children to achieve excellence in academic pursuits and in athletic competition. An exemplary member of what has been labeled ""America's greatest generation"", he served in the U. S. Marine Corps in the Pacific theatre during World War II, surviving the battle for Iwo Jima. Mr. Cooper was a loyal and loving husband, a caring and supportive father, and a patriotic American citizen. Born in Lawrenceville, Illinois on February 5, 1920, Mr. Cooper was the second son of William Luther Cooper and Minnie Pauline Cooper. A 1938 graduate of Hammond High School in Hammond, Indiana, Mr. Cooper served in various supervisory roles and quality control capacities in the steel industries in Indiana, Ohio, and Michigan for the majority of his working years. He retired in 1985 from the Michigan-based Fundimensions Corporation, a company that produced Lionel model trains. Mr. Cooper and his wife lived in Shelby Township, Michigan until 2004 when they relocated to St. Mary's Assisted Living Center in Lawrenceville, New Jersey. Mr. Cooper died of heart failure on Saturday January 17, 2009 at his residence. He was 88 years old. Mr. Cooper was admired and respected by his friends and fellow-workers for his warm personality, gentle manner, keen wit, and kind-heartedness. He was an avid reader of spy novels and detective fiction. He enjoyed following his favorite professional football, hockey, and basketball teams and was a particularly strong fan of the Chicago White Sox. He also enjoyed watching television re-runs, especially ""Quincy"", ""Perry Mason"", and ""Columbo"". Dining was a particular highlight for Mr. Cooper, who loved everything his wife cooked as well as commercially prepared pizza, bacon, ice cream, and a myriad of pies and cakes. He also loved to read jokes, hear jokes, and tell jokes. His sense of humor was infectious. Mr. Cooper is survived by three children; Lee, Patty, and Larry, by two daughters-in-law; Jill and Marianna, by five grandchildren; Michael, Laura, Julie, Mieke, and Sabina, and by six great-grandchildren; Dustin, Nicholas, Lauren, Sam, Katarina, and Kiano. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated on Saturday at 10 AM at Queenship of Mary Catholic Church, 16 Dey Rd., Plainsboro, NJ. Visitation for family and friends will be held on Friday from 6-7 PM at Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel at Morris Hall, 1 Bishops Drive, Lawrenceville, NJ and again on Saturday from 9:30 to 10 AM at Queenship of Mary Church in Plainsboro. Burial will be in Schererville, Indiana The Cooper family requests that friends and family members who wish to honor Mr. Cooper's life and memory send donations to the Holy Rosary Chapel at St. Mary's Assisted Living Center at One Bishops Drive in Lawrenceville.