Gary Cooper

A celebration of life service for former DeQuincy Mayor, Gary W. Cooper, all services will be held at First United Pentecostal Church in DeQuincy on Tuesday, Jan. 12, 2016, at 1 p.m. with a visitation on Monday from 5-9 p.m. and Tuesday 11 a.m. until service.

A native of New Orleans, Gary was born on Feb. 8, 1945, adopted as an infant and raised as the only child of Beady and Maggie Royer Cooper, both members of pioneer families of Calcasieu and Beauregard Parishes. He was a 1963 graduate of DeQuincy High School where he served several years as class president. He attended LSU and graduated from McNeese in 1968. At McNeese he was active in student government serving as class president, president of Tau Kappa Epsilon Fraternity and president of the Interfraternity Council.

He was employed by Travelers Insurance Company in New Orleans, the former Bergstedt Agency in Sulphur, and retired from Union Pacific Railroad after 30 years as an engineer. He served as the local chairman/legislative representative of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and also held a LA real estate license. He also served a 6-year term in the LA Army National Guard.

Past affiliations include president, DeQuincy Jaycees; Calcasieu Parish Board of Commissioners of Community Center and Playground District #1 of Ward 6; Calcasieu Parish Council on Aging Board of Directors; Calcasieu Parish Solid Waste Authority; IMCAL Board of Directors; and the Kiwanis Club of West Calcasieu.

He was twice elected mayor of DeQuincy serving from 1982-1991 and did not seek reelection. He served as an appointed interim mayor from 2004-2005. During his mayoral service, he initiated the adoption of a Dequincy Home Rule Charter. He led efforts to annex the DeQuincy Industrial Air Park and to expand and improve the airport’s facilities. He was instrumental in location the Temple-Inland industry east of DeQuincy. He initiated the development of elderly housing known as Park Place and tripled the size and landscaped the Walking Path Park. In 1983, he initiated the lighting of the 1923 Kansas City Southern Depot at Christmas time and appointed a DeQuincy Historical Preservation Board which resulted in the in the restoration and acceptance of the depot and the All Saints Episcopal Church to the National Register of Historic Places in the following year. In 1983, he sought legislation to re-name the DeQuincy Railroad Days Festival as the Louisiana Railroad Days Festival and, at his suggestion, the festival was moved to its present location on the grounds of the DeQuincy Railroad Museum. He began land acquisition for the development of the Union Pacific Baseball Park complex. During his administration, DeQuincy received several Cleanest City awards and numerous Louisiana Municipal Association awards.

His current affiliations include member (20 years) and 2011 Chairman of the Louisiana State Review Board for the National Register of Historic Places; Calcasieu Parish Preservation Society; First Baptist Church of DeQuincy; DeQuincy F&AM Lodge #279, DeQuincy Historical Preservation Board (serving as Centennial Historical Chairman); Calcasieu Parish Library Foundation Board of Directors; Community Historical and Preservation Society; president, DeQuincy Railroad Museum Board of Directors; and member and chairman of the Southwest Louisiana Convention and Visitors Bureau.

He was twice honored to serve as the DeQuincy Chamber of Commerce Parade Marshall in 2001 and 2009; received the 2007 DeQuincy Rotary Club J.G. Vinson Civic Service Award, and receive the 2009 DeQuincy Chamber of Commerce Civic Service Award. He received the State of Louisiana Preservationist of the Year Award in 2015.

He is survived by his wife, Candace Willrich Cooper; a daughter, Lauren Cooper; a son, Ben (Mary) Cooper; and three grandchildren, Bryce Cooper, Jake Cooper and Layla Franks.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorials be made to the church of your choice or MD Anderson–Childrens Hospital. P.O. Box 301439, Houston, TX 77230 or at [email protected]

Words of comfort may be shared with the family at www.hixsonfuneralhomes.com.