Jill Elizabeth Cunningham Cooper

Jill Cooper assembled memories for more than seven decades. These included childhood joys of sledding and jumping rope, family trips to the St. Lawrence Seaway in New York and to Oregon, marriage and motherhood, teaching pre-schoolers, and celebrating anniversaries, birthdays, and holidays. It was sad to watch those memories disappear during her final three years of life. Photographs, conversations, and sing-alongs helped postpone the inevitable loss of familiar names, friendly faces, and happy events. But Alzheimer’s is unforgiving. To the end, Jill knew she was loved. She will be remembered fondly.

Jill Elizabeth (Cunningham) Cooper died at the age of 80 on July 25, 2022. She bravely battled the mental and physical ravages of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases for several years. She is survived by her husband Lee, three children—Michael, Laura, and Julie, son-in-law—Vivek, two grandsons—Dustin and his wife Katelyn, and Nicholas and his fiancée Samantha, and a great grandson—Emmett.

Jill was a loving wife, a devoted mother, and a talented educator. A graduate of Berea (Ohio) High School (1960) and Bowling Green State University (1964), she taught pre-school and kindergarten students across Michigan, Ohio, South Carolina, Georgia, Montana, and Kansas for 50 years. She demonstrated her love for God and for the United Methodist church through volunteer work, as a choir member, and as a Sunday school teacher. Jill was a tireless homemaker, avid gardener, Brownie troop and Cub Scout leader, walking enthusiast, and collector of glass rabbits and Hummel figurines. Following her 2008 retirement to the scenic Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina, she attended classes at the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UNC Asheville and toured western North Carolina with her husband. Her evening and weekend television interests focused on Michigan State University basketball, major league baseball, and quiz programs like “Jeopardy!” and “Wheel of Fortune.”

Jill was beloved by family and friends alike. Caring, selfless, and soft-spoken, she embodied the values of empathy, honesty, and kindness. Her husband treasured her enthusiasm for new adventures in life, her support of his professional career and post-retirement teaching and writing, and her household management skills. Her three children benefited from her constant support, nourishment, and loving advice. Jill’s teaching colleagues appreciated her love of children, her eagerness to assist, and her expertise in early childhood education.

Those wishing to honor Jill’s life should forward memorial contributions to MemoryCare / 100 Far Horizons Lane / Asheville, North Carolina 28803. Or, visit https://memorycare.org/ to donate online and to learn more about this organization’s mission to support families affected by Alzheimer’s.