Richard "Rick" Brooks Cooper

https://vimeo.com/633888942/03eb761791

“What’s brown and sticky?” is the set-up line for Rick Cooper’s favorite pun.

Read on…

Richard Brooks Cooper passed away on Monday, September 20, 2021 after illness. He was 55.

Rick was born on June 17, 1966 in Wilmington, Delaware to Peter and Linda Cooper. His family moved to Flagstaff, Arizona in 1967 where Rick grew up with his older brother, Jim. The family loved camping and skiing. He graduated from Flagstaff High School in 1984. High school activities included marching band and a brief go at cross-country till he learned it was more than short jogs through the woods.

A numbers and process guy, Rick attended Northern Arizona University where he studied math and computer science from 1984-86 and continued the same studies at Westminster College in Salt Lake. While in school, he worked for Domino’s Pizza. He was slow making pizzas, worse at taking phone orders and always distracted by ideas he had to improve the management of inventory. Instead of firing him, the wise manager pulled him off pizza duty and stood back as Rick proceeded to implement computer programs in inventory control for 16 stores and payroll for 1500 employees. He really delivered for Domino’s and graduated from Westminster in 1989 with a BS in Computer Science and Math.

His career as a Software Engineer began at Eaton-Kenway followed by Unisys in Salt Lake. A job at Sequent brought him to Beaverton, Oregon in 1996 where he continued to live with subsequent positions at Polaris, PolyServe, Hewlett-Packard, and for over the last decade, Workday.

Rick met his wife Michele on a speed-date in 2005. Both agreed it was the best return ever on a six-minute investment. They were fittingly married on April 1, 2007 and their son Max was born that same year. His wife and son were the great loves of his life, and he theirs.

Rick loved the “Dad jokes” slack channel at work. He loved a good pun and always had one or ten ready to share and the more his pun made you groan, the better. He never met a dog he didn’t love. He was a soft-spoken man with incomparable inner strength and was the definition of integrity. He was a true, caring friend. For everyone who met him, they are luckier than they know. For everyone who loved him, they are a better person for it and know it.

He is survived by his wife Michele Elskamp Cooper and son Maximillian Cooper (14) of Beaverton, brother James Cooper (Shauna) of Arizona, nephews, nieces, uncle and aunts, cousins, in-laws and countless friends.

A limited in-person Celebration of Life is being planned with anticipated livestream.

For those wishing to contribute in his memory, the family suggests the Columbia Land Trust (columbialandtrust.org), or any dog rescue/care organization.

So, what’s brown and sticky? A stick. (Are you groaning? He would be pleased.) Rest in peace our beloved Rick

A limited in-person Celebration of Rick is being planned for October 23rd at 4pm with anticipated livestream. Please check back here for the link.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.skylinememorialgardens.com for the Cooper family.