Calling Hours
Obituary of John William Cooper
John William Cooper of Glastonbury, CT passed away on October 22, 2023. John was born in Poughkeepsie, NY in 1946, the first child of Ronald Wells Cooper and Jane Hepburn Cooper. He graduated from Arlington High School in Freedom Plains, NY in 1964 and received a BA from the University of Connecticut in 1968. After a two-year enlistment in the U.S. Army from 1968 to 1970, including a tour of duty in South Vietnam, John married Cheryl Fuller Cooper of Glastonbury in 1970. They had three children, Sarah Cooper De Leon, Adam Tryon Cooper and Seth Albright Cooper. John and Cheryl were divorced in 2007.
In his professional career, John was a social studies teacher at Glastonbury High School for 44 years, retiring in 2016. In addition to his undergraduate work at the University of Connecticut, he received a Master’s degree from the University of Massachusetts in 1972 and a 6th Year Graduate Studies degree from Trinity College, Hartford, CT in 1979. Along with the joy and satisfaction he enjoyed from his students, John’s greatest professional achievement was the creation and teaching of Glastonbury High School’s Advanced Placement United States History course. John was proud to serve with so many excellent teachers in his years on the faculty at Glastonbury High School.
In addition to his teaching, John served in the U. S. Army, both on active duty and as a reservist, from 1968 until his retirement in 2000. He spent one year in Vietnam and served as a senior non-commissioned officer in reserve units in Connecticut, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island, retiring as a Command Sergeant Major. His awards included the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit, the Meritorious Service Medal, and 4 awards of the Army Commendation Medal. Additionally, in 1982, John was selected as the first U.S. Army Non-commissioned Officer of the Year.
John is survived by his three children, Sarah Cooper De Leon and her husband Anthony of Alexandria, VA, Adam Tryon Cooper and his wife Allyson of Andover, MA, and Seth Albright Cooper and his wife Chelsea, of Glastonbury, CT. He will also be missed by his seven grandchildren, Jack, Grace, and Paige Cooper of Andover, MA, Emerson, Maeve, and Cassidy Cooper of Glastonbury, CT, and Gabriela De Leon of Alexandria, VA. John is also survived by his sister Betsy Pizzolato and her husband Tom of Hockessin, DE. Betsy’s hour-long phone calls each weekend brought John a great deal of happiness. John is also survived by his longtime friend and partner, Maureen Perkins of Manchester, CT.
Calling hours will be held at the Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave. Glastonbury on Friday, October 27, 2023 from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm. Funeral services and burial will be private. In lieu of flowers memorial donations in John’s name can be made to the Glastonbury High School Scholarship Fund at c/o Ted Gregorski, GHS School Counseling Office, 628 Hebron Avenue, PO Box 191, Glastonbury, CT 06033. For online condolences, please visit www.mulryanfh.com.