Remembering the Life of Grandaddy Cooper 9-11-20 to 11-12-17

On Sunday morning, November 12, 2017, our beloved Grandaddy Cooper went home to be with His Creator. Below his picture here is the full obituary written by my dad, Charles Hanson Cooper, about his father, Charles Antoine Cooper. For a man who lived his life so fully with love toward God, country and man, this hardly gives one a glimpse of the legacy left by the life of our Grandaddy. Because he taught us to love, we can only pray and hope to live our lives as he did - so unselfishly and full of giving.

When I think of Grandaddy, this Scripture comes to mind:
"And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God." - Micah 6:8

Charles Antoine Cooper - AKA – son, Cooper’s Bakery clerk, student, Daddy, Grandaddy, soldier, sergeant, husband, brother, uncle, cousin, teacher, principal, dealer in antiques, lover of God, lover of mankind, and lover of all creation.

Obituary written by Charles "Charlie" Cooper to follow: 

Charles Antoine Cooper

Wherever Dad went he made it a better place.  Dad was born, at home, to Leslie A. Cooper & Margaret Hanson on Sept. 11^th 1920.  The Dr. Rode a horse & buggy and the delivery took so long that after Dad was born he went to the buggy and took a big slug of whiskey.  Leslie went to the offices of the San Marcos record, where he was a regular contributor and exclaimed "It's a boy, he'll either be a prize fighter or a baker!".

Dad was raised a Methodist.  His Grandfather was from a family of Presbyterians and his Grandmother from a family of Baptists, so they decided to be Methodists when they were married. 

The Coopers owned Cooper's Bakery in San Marcos, Texas.  Dad grew up relishing the smell of fresh baked bread, cakes, pies, & cookies.  He learned the Spanish language while working w/ the Hispanic patrons. 

His young life in San Marcos was filled with hunting & fishing the San Marcos and Blanco Rivers with his brothers Jack & Edwin. 

He trapped furs as a youngster and sold them for $.50 a pelt which was "good money for the great depression days" he would say.  He was bitten through the right hand by a bobcat he tried to befriend and he and some buddies released 2 opossums in the darkness of the Palace Theatre that to start a near riot.

When it came time to graduate from high-school they had to retrieve him and some buddies for the ceremony, from the 5-mile dam on the Blanco river where the boys were seining fish coming over the flooded river dam.

Dad graduated from Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos (Now Texas State) and played trombone in the college band and his father played the baritone in the same band.  His trombone playing would follow him to war in 1941.

Dad joined the army and served in the celebrated Texas 36^th Division.  He was stationed at Camp Bowie, went through the Louisiana maneuvers and fought during WWII as a Seargent in the North Africa and Italian Campaigns.  He was there at the landing at Salerno, some of the fiercest fighting of the war.

He returned to the USA sickened from Malaria and Battle Fatigue.  While recovering at Moore General in Ashville NC, he met a beautiful nurse, Lieutenant Laverta Green.  They were married in Ashville May 15^th 1945.  Brother Leslie was born in March 1946. 

Dad received his Master's of Science Degree from Oklahoma A&M (Now Oklahoma State). He taught industrial arts at Texas A&I and started his public teaching career in 1949 as a Principle of the Utopia Texas School District.  While there me and my sister Margaret were born.  Charles did the county census for the Uvalde & Sabinal Counties and had some great stories about the hillbillies.  He also worked as a constable during summer breaks as well as operating a leather goods stand at Garner State Park. 

Dad was an artist, business man, and a jokester.

While living in Utopia he saved a man's life during a water well digging incident by using oxygen tanks. 

Dad took over the Superintendent of the Martindale School District in 1953.  He also worked as the Principal, Science Teacher, Spanish Teacher, and School Bus Driver. 

Sister Evelyn was born in Lockhart in 1953. 

Dad taught us kids how to hunt and fish the San Marcos Rivers, took us hunting arrowheads and taught us how to swim.  During the summers dad ran a horse stable on the little Blanco River; we learned to ride for free.  He also worked as a constable. 

Dad moved the family to San Antonio in 1961 and began his 25-year long career as a teacher in the Northeast ISD.  All the kids, with Dad's help, graduated from SA MacArthur HS.  Dad was a math expert and would invent games and techniques to make learning fun and was recognized for this and was sent as an ambassador to several Central America countries to help teach the techniques to the local teachers.

He would have boy's summer camps here in Medina at the 42-acre ranch he named Camp Manzanita.  He taught the young boys, swimming, fishing, river riding, about nature, plants, animals, fossil hunting, local geology.  All the things he had taught his family. 

Dad, his whole life, bought, sold, & traded antiques and collectable.  When he retired from teaching in 1986, he made it his second career.  Antoine's Antiques was the name of the business he ran out of his home in San Antonio.  He loved history and loved to "wheel and deal" and visit with his patrons. 

Mother passed away in 2006 and we moved Dad from San Antonio to live with us.  Dad visited a good deal to the Old Timer, Core, & Ace Hardware and with his dogs befriended many of the local residents. 

He loved to go to the Medina Days to run Dogs & visit.  Mr. McDaniel told me that he must have shown his photo of mom at least twice to every resident of Bandera County.  Mother was a pretty woman and he felt fortunate to have had married her.

Dad stopped driving when he turned 90 but wasn't happy about it.

He enjoyed taking care of the chickens, gardening, and watering his fruit trees. He remained in good health and caring for himself until his final days.  He passed away last Sunday morning in Bandera at the age of 97 years, 2 months, and 1 day.  On his office door growing up he had posted that: "A stranger is a friend you have never met" That is how he lived and his epitaph shall read.  "I loved my fellow man"