Walter Joseph Cooper (1918 - 1988)

Born 24 Nov 1918 in Pleasant Prairie, Spokane, Washington, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 12 Mar 1988 at age 69 in Stevens Memorial Hospital, Snohomish, Washington, United States

Problems/Questions Profile manager: Jennifer Fulk [send private message]

Biography

Walter was born in 1918. He passed away in 1988 from a heart attack (he also had colon cancer, according to his wife, said a few months after he had passed away).^[1] (Granddaughter)

Walter made it to [6th or 8th grade] until he had to quit school so he could help his father out in his father's apple orchard.

He worked in his father's apple orchard in his childhood.

According to a daughter, he was enlisted in the Army before he could finish high school (Uncertain. The timing may be mixed up with the apple orchard help).

In WWII, he fixed mangled U.S. tanks [at Panama Canal? He was deployed there sometimes].

After WWII, he and his brother, Fred, worked at Hostess Twinkies in Seattle.

After that, and through most of his life, he worked at Boeing in the rivetting area, working on the Boeing 727, 737, and 747.

After Boeing, he worked at Sears for a short time.

Nearly every weekend for several years, during his working years, he would take his family out camping and hiking all around Washington state, including Mt. Rainier. In addition to camping and hiking, he enjoyed rock hounding, cutting rocks open, photography, home remodeling, and more.

He retired in about 1981. Once he retired, he bought a colored TV for the first time, new couch, large cabinets with lights inside (These were going to be each daughter's inheritance, but the second oldest daughter later sold the house with most everything in it so she could retire in Florida), new kitchen flooring, and tile through the house.

In about 1981 or 1982, he and his youngest daughter built a solarium against the house. It had a glass roof and long vertical glass sides, from top to bottom, which slanted outward most at the bottom. When it rained, it created a beautiful, calming rippling effect that could be viewed from the yard, inside the solarium, and from inside the house from the kitchen window and the bedroom window. When it snowed, the snow stuck, but light shown through it. On sunny days, it was blazing hot in there, but it was still fun for grandchildren to play with the grey sand, shells, and toys that was along the glass side of the solarium next to the concrete walkway. In the winter, it helped keep the house warm, trapping heat from daylight. It lasted until about 2012-ish, when the glass sides were slipping down from the wood frames rotting, so the second oldest daughter had it dismantled.

His wife, M.C., is alive at 96 as of January 2024. His 5 daughters are also living. His children are (initials for privacy) M. D. (no children), J.C. (1 child), A.G. (4 children, one of which is adopted, abt. 5? grandchildren, and one great grandchild), T.C. (5 children, 4 grandchildren), and J.C. (not the same as older sister) (3 children, including Fulk-1500 ).

He had light blue eyes. His hair was blond when he was young, then as he aged, it changed to auburn, then brown, then salt-and-pepper grey.

If he ate ice cream, he would have bad hiccups, so he ate buttermilk popscicles instead, which he loved. He also liked bacon and eggs, smoked fish (in general), salmon, sardines, kipper, and smelt. He hated chocolate (years later, he would have a neice who hated chocolate, too, describing that it tasted like dirt, but a chocoholic daughter and neice).

In his last years, during a phone conversation between his wife and youngest daughter, the daughter said she wished to get tickets to go to a Boston Pops concert, but his wife said he needed to be close to the bathroom. Months after his death, his wife finally opened up and said it was due to colon cancer. When asked why he never told the daughters, his wife said, "Well, he was a very private man." He also likely didn't want his family worrying about him, stressing over it, or sacrificing their time and money caring for him. It is likely he never got any treatments for it.

He had several silent heart attacks, describing it as very bad heartburn.

Death and Burial

Per death certificate, Mr. Cooper passed away due to acute pulmonary failure, complicated by arteriosclerosis and cardio vascular disease. He passed at Stevens Memorial Hospital in Edmonds, Snohomish, Washington. He was laid to rest at Floral Hills Cemetery in Lynnwood, Washington.

1. ↑ Information provided by J. Fulk

• Death Certificate: https://digitalarchives.wa.gov/DigitalObject/Download/3a3b7b94-67ec-4c0d-973b-1bfa454e88da
• Find A Grave: Memorial #112317430 Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 15 April 2021), memorial page for Walter Joseph Cooper (24 Nov 1918–12 Mar 1988), Find a Grave Memorial no. 112327430, citing Floral Hills Cemetery, Lynnwood, Snohomish County, Washington, USA ; Maintained by R. Elwood (contributor 47816069) .
• https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/details/LFSM-TNK
• Walter J Cooper United States Census, 1940: "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:K998-X5X : 6 January 2021), Walter J Cooper in household of Georgia Cooper, Ollala Election Precinct, Chelan, Washington, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 4-32, sheet 2A, line 9, family 24, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627. Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2012, roll 4332.
• Walter J Cooper United States Census, 1920: "United States Census, 1920", database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MHNN-MVZ : 4 February 2021), Walter J Cooper in entry for Fred W Cooper, 1920.
• Walter Joseph Cooper Washington, County Birth Registers, 1873-1965: "Washington, County Birth Registers, 1873-1965", database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:D43Q-WLZM : 2 October 2020), Walter Joseph Cooper, 1918.
• Walter J Cooper United States Census, 1930: "United States Census, 1930," database with images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:XCSV-ZWZ : accessed 12 May 2021), Walter J Cooper in household of Fred W Cooper, Lewis, Washington, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) ED 22, sheet 8A, line 15, family 186, NARA microfilm publication T626 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 2002), roll 2484; FHL microfilm 2,342,218.