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Lt. Col. RICHMOND J. COOPER Army
Officer / Stockbroker Lt. Col. Richmond J. Cooper
(Ret.), a long-time resident of Alexandria, died April
15, 2011 at his home with his family at his side. He
was 84 years old.
Lt. Col. Cooper was born in the Philippines on
January 2, 1927 to Lt. Col. Avery John Cooper and Ona (Gibson) Cooper.
The youngest of seven children, Lt. Col. Cooper graduated from Western
High School in Washington, D.C., in 1943 at the age of 16.
After one year of military prep school, he followed in the footsteps of
his three older brothers and attended the United States Military Academy at
West Point where he graduated in 1948. Fluent in five languages, including
English, Spanish, French, German and Russian, Lt. Col. Cooper specialized
in the translation of documents and trained to be one of the principle
interpreters for President Dwight D. Eisenhower's scheduled trip to the
Soviet Union that was later cancelled after the infamous "U-2" incident in
1960. Lt. Col. Cooper also served for several years as a White House social
aide during the Eisenhower and Kennedy Administrations. It was during his
time with the Kennedy Administration where Lt. Col. Cooper met his loving
wife of 49 years, Janet Felton. They were married in 1962. Lt. Col. Cooper
retired from the military after 20 years of service in 1968.
Following his military service, Lt. Col. Cooper worked 37 years as an
investment broker for the Washington, DC firm of Folger, Nolan, Fleming,
Douglas where he rose to the position of vice-president. He retired from his
position at Folger, Nolan, Fleming, Douglas in 2005 at the age of 78.
He lived out the rest of his years at his home in Alexandria, Virginia. Lt.
Col. Cooper is survived by his wife Janet, his children, Joshua, Hope and
Phineas and his grandchildren Eryn and Janet.
A memorial service will be held at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 228 S.
Pitt St., Alexandria, VA 22314, on Tuesday, April 26, 2011, at 2 p.m. with
reception to follow.
Services at Arlington National Cemetery are yet to be determined.
Donations in lieu of flowers may be sent to the Children of Fallen
Soldiers Relief Fund www.cfsrf.org
For more information, please visit www.demainefuneralhomes.com
Published in The Washington Post on April 24, 2011
