Obituary of Richard Cooper

Richard Paul Cooper, Sr., a retired banking Vice President, passed away after a long illness on Friday night, January 3, 2014. He was 82 years old. Richard was born in Cambridge, the son of the late Harold and Elsie Cooper. He was a graduate of Rindge Technical High School and then attended Bentley College. He proudly served his country as a Sergeant in the Army during the Korean War. He received the Korean Service Medal with 2 Bronze Service Stars, the United Nations Service Medal, National Defense Service Medal, and the Good Conduct Medal. Richard’s life could have been portrayed by George Bailey in the movie A Wonderful Life, without the hardship. Richard’s life revolved around his family, community, and his customers, who were also his friends. He believed in working in the community where he lived. He started working at Cambridge Trust in Harvard Square in Cambridge, where he first achieved the position of Vice President. He then moved to Coolidge Bank and spent his last 15 years as Vice President at Bank Boston/ Old Colony Bank in Burlington. And much like the character George Bailey, Richard was extremely connected to his customers. He understood the bank was part of the life’s blood of a community and he did his best to help his customers with unforeseen expenses, save for retirement, and reach for their dreams. His family gave him the nickname “MAT” which was an acronym for “Man Around Town”. Richard was part of the community. He was a member of the Knights of Columbus and a Past President of the Rotary Club. He believed in giving back to his community and was active member of these charitable organizations. He enjoyed the rewards of helping those in need, enriching the community, and the social facet of working with residents and business owners who truly care about others. Richard’s family was the focal point of his life. He was the loving husband to his wife Ann and his funeral will be held on their 54th wedding anniversary. He was a loving husband, a good provider, and life partner. He was a loving, supportive, and a bit protective father to his 3 children and he was so blessed to be a part of his grandchildren’s lives. Despite be a loving person, he did have a competitive side to him. He regularly played tennis with his friends at Rahanis Park. He loved cards especially Cribbage, Rummy 500, and Poker. Monopoly was a family game which all his family played to win. He enjoyed watching old movies, dinners with friends, and sharing his time with those he loved and cared for. So, just as George Bailey discovered in A Wonderful Life, it can be truly said that the world was a bit better because of Richard Paul Cooper, Sr. Richard was the loving husband of 54 years of Ann S. (Cresine). He was the loving father of Brenda Cooper of Amesbury and her companion William Howard of Essex, Beth Ann Cooper & her husband Ramon Venegas of Hopkinton, and Richard P. Cooper, Jr. & his wife Gina of Raymond, NH. He was the brother of Bobara Barr of Woburn, the late Harold H. Cooper, Jr. and Marion Levesque. He was the brother-in-law of David & Jacqueline Cresine of Paradise Utah and son-in-law of Eleanor Bain of Palm Desert, CA. Richard was the proud grandfather of Noah & Heather Fickett, Jazmin & Becca Payne, and Jamie, Ryan, & Richard Cooper and great grandfather of Julien Medina. Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (exit 34 off Rt. 128/95, Woburn side) on Thursday Jan. 9 from 4-8 p.m. A funeral mass will be celebrated on Friday, Jan. 10 at St. Margaret’s Church, 111 Winn St., Burlington at 10 a.m. Interment will follow at Pine Haven Cemetery, Burlington. In lieu of flowers, memorials in Richard’s name may be made to the Alzheimer's Association, 480 Pleasant Street, Watertown, MA 02472 or Shriners Hospitals for Children, Office of Development, 2900 Rocky Point Drive, Tampa, FL 33607 or Massachusetts General Hospital, Development Office, 100 Cambridge Street, Suite 1310, Boston, MA 02114.