In Memory

Clifford D Cooper - Class Of 1949

Clifford D Cooper

Our dear husband, father, and grandfather went home to be with his Lord on Monday, November 22, 2010.  Cliff was born in Los Angeles, California to Leslie J. & Merle I. Cooper on August 18, 1931.  He graduated from South Pasadena High School in 1949 and from USC in 1953.  He served two years in the army.

In February 1956, while playing a round of golf, he met the woman that he knew he would marry, Janice Barton.  They were married in July 1956 and enjoyed 54 years of marriage.  Cliff was a very kind, gentle, and humorous man, well-liked by all.  He was a hard-working, honest business man, owning his own insurance agency for 38 years, retiring in 1994.

He is survived by his dear wife Janice, his sons Ron (Sharon) and Andy, and his grandsons Jeremy, Nick (Nicole), and Jorge.

Los Angeles Times, November 27, 2010



 
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01/01/11 06:07 AM #1    

John R 'Jack' Russell (1949)

Dear family of Clifford Cooper:

I am deeply, deeply saddened to learn of Cliff's passing, on November 22. Cliff and I were very close friends, classmates, playmates and teammates, and friendly competitors, during our time at Marengo School (1st Grade through 6th Grade) and, to a lesser degree, in Junior High and High School. We spent countless hours playing ping pong on the back porch of his home on Oak Street, or shooting baskets at the basketball hoop on Stratford Street, next to their driveway, or, on hot summer days, playing a Baseball game that he...and I believe...and classmates, Bob Sisler and Charles Sweet, devised, in which small play action cards were pulled-out of a paper bag. I still have a few scorecards from those games tucked away somewhere in a box of memorabilia. Cliff and I played on the Marengo School City Grammar Schools Softball Championship team. He was our pitcher...and an excellent one...and I played first base. I have a couple of photos of the team taken at the Orange Grove Playground, where we played our games against teams from the other four schools.  I have 2, or 3, other photos of Cliff and me posing for Baseball "action" shots, in my backyard, on Spruce Street, taken by my Mom.

As we grew older, Cliff and I played golf, together, at the San Garbriel Country Club, where his family was a member.  We would take our golf bags on a bus, down Garfield Avenue to Main Street, in Alhambra, and change the bus, east, to the Country Club. After the High School Baseball season was completed in the spring semester, in High School, Cliff, I and 4, or 5, others, formed a golf team and played in several High School tournaments in our area. Vice Principle, Jim Carpenter, was our sponsor.

Though not as tall as some of our classmates and teammates, Cliff was a fierce competitor, but not without a constant smile and an occasional joking rib.  Important to note, also, was Clifford's deep interest to learn. I was impressed by the high grades he made, the many books he read...always at the top of the class...and the broad knowledge he had about various subjects.

I, last, spoke to Cliff about a year ago, given that our Birthdays were two days apart. Mine was on the 20th of August...so Cliff, always, had bragging rights about being older than I.  These are wonderful memories about a special time and person in my life.  A part of my life has been diminished, by Cliff's death, but the many wonderful memories live on and will be a part of my life as long as I live. My deepest sympathies and condolensces go out to all of Cliff's family.

John "Jack" Russell                                                                                                                            2405 E. Boston Road                                                                                                                       Bloomington, IN 47401                                                                                                                    812-333-7120 / jrihruss@sbcglobal.net

 


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