Obituary of Don "Buddy" Cooper

     Donald Elwood “Buddy” Cooper (February 4, 1936 – December 28, 2023) passed away two weeks after memorial services were held for his lifetime love and wife of 64 years, Joyce. A lifelong resident of Kenton County, Kentucky, he grew up in Morning View and on Decoursey Pike in Covington. He graduated from Dixie Heights High School in 1954 and received an Honorable Discharge from the US Navy Reserves on March 9, 1961. He married Joyce Ruth Moffett in June of 1959, and they began their new life together in Latonia.

     They had three children, Rev. D. Scott Cooper, Vicki Cooper Shoemaker, and Randall Alan (Randy) Cooper, and moved to Independence. The family became active in the Florence Methodist Church. Randy passed away in 1982 after fighting a brain tumor. They stayed in the Ronald McDonald House in Chicago while there for his surgery, and became advocates for the charity.

     He retired from Trans World Airlines after working there for 36 years at the Greater Cincinnati Airport, then took a job driving for Hertz, where he stayed for 21 years. He enjoyed playing sports including bowling, basketball and softball, and later served as coach for his son Randy’s teams as well. He and Joyce were chaperones on many marching band trips during their kid’s high school years. They enjoyed traveling and camping, often vacationing to Carter Caves State Park, Disneyland, and once to England during the Queen’s Silver Jubilee.

     “Pa” was a doting grandfather for Vicki’s son and daughter and was named a Kentucky Colonel in 2015. He and Joyce continued to travel, visiting 46 of the United States and several places in Canada. They also volunteered at Action Ministries, enjoyed local theatre productions, and enjoyed lunching with longtime friends.

     He is survived by son Scott (Conrad Hamric), daughter Vicki (Gary Shoemaker), grandson Evan Vickers, granddaughter Andrea Vickers Massey (Tyler Massey), sister Marilyn Cooper Moffett (Thomas Moffett), and many relatives and friends who will miss him deeply.

     A visitation will be held between 10 AM and 12 PM with a funeral service to immediately follow at 12 PM on Wednesday, January 3rd at Chambers & Grubbs Funeral Home, 11382 Madison Pike Independence, KY 41051. He will be laid to rest next to his beloved wife at Floral Hills Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, please make donations to the Ronald McDonald House https://www.rmhcincinnati.org or the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Brain Tumor Center https://www.cincinnatichildrens.org/service/b/brain-spinal. For directions, to share a memory, or leave the family an online condolence, please visit the corresponding tabs on this page.