Frederick R. Cooper Jr.

Frederick R. Cooper, Jr. passed away on Friday, April 8, 2011. He was born on June 10, 1927 in Albemarle, North Carolina to a Protestant minister, Reverend Frederick R. Cooper and Mrs. Grace Pike Cooper. He graduated from Asheboro High School in 1943. He took Navy training courses in Chicago, Illinois before becoming a 'plank owner' aboard the Navy carrier, U.S.S. Lake Champlain, stationed in Norfolk, Virginia. The last two years of World Ward II, he served in the European Theater. Fred and all his shipmates aboard the U.S.S. Champlain received a Blue Ribbon Atlantic Record Certificate for crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Gibraltar to Norfolk, Virginia in 1945, as the fastest recorded crossing in history to that date.

Fred entered the U.S. Coast Guard in 1946 and continued taking college courses wherever he was stationed. He became a Catholic in 1947. He married Rita Goodness, a high school teacher in 1948 and they had four children.

During his 26 years in the U.S. Coast Guard, he had sea duty for about five years. His family lived on shore while he was aboard the C.G. Machinaw, ice breaker on the Great Lakes, stationed in Cheboygan, Michigan; weather patrol in the Atlantic on the C.G. Mendota in Wilmington, North Carolina and the C.B. Bibb in Boston, Massachusetts. He had shore duty in C.G. District Offices in Norfolk and Clifton Forge, Virginia; Cleveland, Ohio; Baltimore, Maryland; Travers City Air Station, Michigan; San Francisco, California; Boston, Massachusetts and Charleston, South Carolina. He was an instructor at the Coast Guard Academy in New London, Connecticut. He was a veteran of WWII in the Navy and a veteran of the Coast Guard in Korea and the Vietnam Conflict.

Fred was an avid trombone player of classical and jazz music, a hunter and fisherman. It was a pleasure for him to drive his salt-water or fresh-water boat for fishing and relaxing with his family, relatives and friends. He was a devoted father to his three sons and helped them understand and have a good time to become Catholic Altar boys, Little League players, Eagle Scouts, playing their musical instruments in junior symphony orchestera and bands, karate, driving a car and boats and learning computers for their school homework. He also, helped his sons collect numismatics, philately, conchology, quartz colored stones, tropical fish to fill their many 10, 20 and 50 gallon tanks and taught them astronomy with their telescopes and how to clean, fire and handle their guns while hunting.

He retired from the Coast Guard in 1971 and lived in Sanford, Florida for 28 years, until eminent domain in Sanford moved the family to Citrus Springs, Florida in 1988. He was a parishoner at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Citrus Springs. He was a member of the Retired Officers Association of the U.S. Coast Guard and NOAA, Military Officers Association of America.

He is survived by his oldest son, Frederick Cooper, III of Wichita, Kansas and many nieces and nephews.

His wife, Rita G. Cooper, passed away on March 14, 2011. He was preceded in death by his infant daughter, Maryanne; two college sons, David Edward and Timothy James; his parents, Reverend and Mrs. Frederick R. Cooper and two sisters, Margaret Morris and Odelia Lineberry.

The family suggests, in lieu of flowers, memorial contriutions may be made to your favorite charity or to future Masses in Fred's memory.

Mass of Christian Burial will be said at 11:00 A.M. on Friday, April 15, 2011 at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church with Father Eric Peters, Celebrant. Interment with Military Honors follows at Fero Memorial Gardens, Beverly Hills, Florida

Services entrusted to Fero Funeral Home

www.ferofuneralhome.com.