William John Cooper

William John "Bill" Cooper, 96, of Raleigh, NC, died on October 5, 2026. Bill taught us all how to live well. He rests in glory; may his memory be a blessing.

Bill was born on October 24, 1929, at the start of the Great Depression. He was the son of Agnes Sheppard Creighton and Harry Delos Cooper of the Bloomfield neighborhood in Pittsburgh, PA. Bill's brother, Bud (Harry Calvin), was six years his senior. In Bill's early years, the family lived with Agnes' father Samuel Creighton in a row house he had built. Samuel was born in Scotland and migrated to Pennsylvania from Ulster as a young man in 1870.

When Samuel died a few years later, the family moved to rural West Liberty, PA to become more self-sufficient. They purchased a seven-acre plot with a partially built house, where they farmed and raised hogs. Each spring, Bill claimed one piglet as his own; one year he used the proceeds to order a cheap guitar from Sears Roebuck. He fondly remembered Fatty, the family's oatmeal-eating German Shepherd watchdog, and he and Bud counted raisin pudding among their favorite childhood foods. Bill attended a one-room school, where he had the same teacher for grades 3-8.

When Bill was ten, his father died. The family stayed on the farm for a couple more years. But after they inadvertently killed off their entire potato crop, they decided they weren't great farmers. So they moved in town, to Slippery Rock. Bill attended Slippery Rock High School, graduating in 1945.

In 1946, Bill began his studies at Grove City College, hitchhiking to school his first two years. He paused his education in 1948 to serve in the Army for two years at Fort Eustis, VA, completing his service just one week before the start of the Korean War. In 1952, he graduated from Grove City with a degree in Chemical Engineering. Bill began working for Callery Chemical Company in Callery, PA, and he did graduate work in chemistry at Carnegie Tech and Penn State. After 40 years at Callery, he retired in 1994 as the Director of Research and Development.

While at Penn State, Bill met Florence Mildred Smith of Beechwoods, PA, a fellow Grove City graduate. They married in 1957, settled in Butler, and promptly had three children: David in 1958, Scott in 1959, and Ann in 1961. The family was active in First United Methodist Church of Butler. Following his retirement, Bill enjoyed working in the church nursery, and he served as a Lay Leader for the Western PA Conference of the United Methodist Church.

Bill possessed a lifelong curiosity. For most of his life he read several books a week; his mother-in-law, Laura Smith, fondly recalled that Bill was adept at reading a book while feeding babies in the early years of his marriage. He was a runner, a gardener, a self-taught bonsai artist, an oil painter, and a photographer. To improve his art skills, Bill took classes at Butler County Community College (BC3) for about 20 years, happily repeating some courses several times.

Following Flo's death in 2012, Bill moved to Raleigh in 2013. Embracing a new chapter, he left his car behind and became a dedicated walker and public transportation enthusiast. He joined the Raleigh Mennonite Church community and loved engaging with the local arts scene during his long walks downtown. To exercise his chemistry skills, he became an enthusiastic kitchen chemist, poring over issues of Cook's Illustrated. Family and friends shared many delicious meals he prepared, and his holiday appetizer arrays were legendary.

Bill was preceded in death by his parents, his brother, and his wife, Florence. He is survived by his children, David (Anne) of Raleigh, Scott (Kathy) of Canonsburg, PA, and Ann Roush (Greg) of Boardman, OH. He leaves behind five granddaughters: Bethany Gould of Los Angeles, CA; Aira Cooper of Asheville, NC; Emily Lamb (Stephen) of Canonsburg, PA; Anne Hope Cooper of Long Beach, CA; and Laura Cooper of Raleigh. In 2014, Bill was amazed and delighted to become a "G-GPa." He is survived by four great-grandchildren, Riley, Clark, Cooper, and Callum Lamb. Bill also leaves behind his beloved chocolate lab, Ezzy, and her faithful dog walkers, Levi and Julien Everitt.

The family greatly appreciates the exceptional care provided by Grace Mwaura's caregivers from Grace Inc., especially Mary Kirite and Ruth Gachogu. The family also thanks Janet Fields for her faithful visits when Bill became homebound, and BJ Davis, Bill's longtime neighbor, friend, and "good humor specialist."

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Bill's memory to:
The Florence Smith Cooper Scholarship Fund
BC3 Education Foundation, P.O. Box 1203, Butler, PA 16003-1203
 Online: https://tinyurl.com/Scholarship-Fund-donations 

Service and Remembrance Information:

• Visitation: Friday, November 13, 2026, 7:00 pm at 1101 Mordecai Drive.

• Celebration of Life: Saturday, November 14, 2026, 11:00 am, with lunch to follow. Raleigh Mennonite Church meets at The Church of the Good Shepherd, 121 Hillsborough Street 27603, on the third floor. All are welcome. The service will also be on Zoom: https://go.raleighmennonite.org/bill-cooper-memorial 

• Shiva Period: To remember his father, Dave Cooper will sit shiva at his home (1101 Mordecai Drive) from November 15-20, 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm daily. Friends are warmly invited to drop by and sit for a while or share a memory.

• Interment: In October 2027, Bill's and Florence's ashes will be interred in Beechwoods Cemetery in Beechwoods, PA.