Walter D. Cooper Jr.

Walter was born on March 1, 1939 in Canton, Mississippi, to Mary Evelyn and W.D. Cooper, Sr. He grew up in Mississippi and Alabama, before the family settled in Lufkin during his teenage years. He enjoyed the outdoors, often spending time fishing or taking drives, and in his younger years, he liked to go dancing or to the skating rink. Shortly after meeting Gloria on a blind date in the late 1950s, he knew he had found the one his soul loved. He was so excited to propose that he did so on one of their very early dates, on the way to go out skating. They married shortly after, on June 14, 1960 and that excitement never faded, with his love and adoration clearly evident over the next sixty years, until they departed the earth less than one day apart.

Walter and Gloria raised three children together, Felecia Denise, Brenda Gale, and Walter Delwin. They made their family the center of their lives, and remained deeply involved with their children and seven grandchildren throughout their lives. They also formed many lifelong friendships, and were steadfast members of the Baptist church. Walter and Gloria settled in Houston, Texas, in the early 1960s. Walter was a truck driver and loved the open road, even ‘hot rodding’ in a sports car down open country roads with a friend well into their 70s. He spent his time with his family and friends, enjoying vacations at the lake, fishing and hunting, and engaging with his community and church, most recently serving as a greeter (along with Gloria) at Second Baptist Church in Kingwood.

It is difficult to put into just a few words what Walter and his life meant to those who loved him. For many of us, he was our steadfast daddy or papaw. He was unfailing in his devotion to those he loved, and particularly Gloria. He made it his life’s work to create a loving, happy home with her, and to care for her and his family as his first priority. It is clear that he accomplished this throughout his life. Walter was someone who could be counted on time and time again. He was gentle, thoughtful, and had an immense sense of fun; qualities he extended to all those around him. Walter loved to make others smile and laugh, though he was unequivocally the one to call if you needed a listening ear or some sound advice (offered in that deep Mississippi drawl that we’ll all miss). He was generous with his praise and hugs, and always made sure those around him knew he loved them and were taken care of in any way they needed. Walter was a quieter but no less impactful presence than Gloria, and his lived example of how to live with joy and grace, devotion and love, will endure.

It is with great sorrow that we say goodbye to Walter and Gloria. Our loss is indescribable, though we take solace in the knowledge that in death, as in the whole of their lives, they are together as they continue their journey.

Walter is survived by his three children and seven grandchildren: Felecia and Michael Balkcom, Brenda Hahn and David Hahn (deceased), and Walter Delwin and Rhenda Cooper; Lynette O’Keefe, Brittney Balkcom (Liss LaFleur), Joshua Balkcom (James Stoker), Katrina Hahn, Kasey Hahn (Chris Tipton), Kamryn Hahn, and Ryan Cooper. He is also survived by two of his sisters, Margaret Merle Cooper and Jessie Mae Waltman, and many extended family relatives and friends. Walter was immediately followed in death by his beloved wife of sixty years, Gloria Jean Cooper (June 5, 1943-December 2, 2020).