Born February 29, 1952 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Ora and Beatrice (Westveer) Cooper, he married Phyllis R. Perry on June 9, 1972 in Sparta Michigan. She died September 8, 2015 in Henry. He was also preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Joyce Arends.
Surviving are two sons; Jason K. (Heather) Cooper of Pekin and Eric J. (Amy) Cooper of Pittsboro, Indiana; five grandchildren, Nicci, Cara, Amber, Logan and Aaron Cooper; one brother, Milton (Darlene) Cooper of Sparta, Michigan and one sister, Sandy (Fred) Wilcox of Wyoming.
Thomas served in the United States Air Force for four years followed by 19 years in the United States Army, retiring in 1993. He then worked for the Veterans Administration for 16 years, followed by five years with the Department of Defense.
A Detroit Tigers Baseball fan, he also enjoyed playing and coaching baseball. Tom enjoyed collecting war artifacts, specifically World War I, Word War II, Vietnam, and the American Civil War.
A gathering celebrating Tom’s life will start at 1 p.m. Sunday, September 22, 2024 at the Pekin Park District Pavilion with military honors provided by the Tazewell Military Rites Team. Cremation has been accorded by Preston-Hanley Funeral Homes & Crematory in Pekin.
Memorial contributions may be given to Veterans Helping Veterans Helping the Community at https://www.facebook.com/VeteransHelpingVeteransHelpingTheCommunity
To express condolences online, visit www.preston-hanley.com
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