Duane Cooper, 76, of Longmont, CO. Ron was born on September 13, 1943 to Homer and Mildred (Woodburn) Cooper in Denver, CO. He grew up in the Lakewood/Golden area and graduated from Golden Highschool in 1961. After receiving his BA in Business from the University of Colorado, Boulder, he worked for IBM for five years. He married Kay McDonald in 1965 and his daughter, Kerri, was born in 1967.
Ron remarried Jean Moloney (Eckert) in 1978 and became step-dad to Christiana Eckert Cooper. Not wanting to leave Colorado for an IBM transfer, Ron launched a new career as a real estate broker, working for and owning a number of Front Range companies over the next 40 plus years. Ron was a dedicated, hard-working, professional real estate broker, earning many awards and honors throughout his career. He truly enjoyed his work and valued all the associates and clients he met on his journey.
Sports were a big part of Ron's life. In addition to over 45 years of excellence on the racquetball court, Ron enjoyed biking, baseball, volleyball, tennis, and golf. Sports became a cornerstone of his relationship with his son, Matthew, who was born in 1979. He spent countless hours playing with Matt and coaching many teams in Boulder and Niwot throughout Matt's life.
Ron was also an incredibly gifted artist, expressing his creativity primarily through music, painting and home remodeling (he was a skilled handyman who could fix anything). He was a natural musician and singer and became an expert guitar and banjo player, with a special love for bluegrass and folk. He starred in the play “Guys and Dolls” in high school, won a Stars of Tomorrow competition, and had his own band in college that played many of the venues in the Boulder area. He continued to play throughout his life and, most recently, was part of a bluegrass jam group in Longmont.
Ron is survived by his wife, Jean, and children – Kerri Anthony (Todd Anthony), Christi (Jim Murphey), and Matthew (Buffy Barfoot) – and his grandchildren Nicholas Anthony (17), Luka Anthony (13), Hannah Kuhn (19), Otis Cooper (4) and Coretta Cooper (6 months). Ron was the youngest of five siblings – older brother Gearld Cooper (Joanne), and sisters Shirley Spillane (John), Betty Hayden (Scott), and Phyllis Ardourel (Ed) – each of whom had large families of their own, and of whom Ron was very fond. He is survived by many nieces and nephews and other extended family members, including the large Moloney family of Jean's. Dogs – all 14 of them – were also an essential part of Ron's life and gave him great joy. He once swore he could only love Labs, but he fell in love with two little lap dogs over the past two years who never left his side, in particular, his little guy Remy.
Ron also loved cars and road trips. Many of the family's fondest memories are of road trips to his favorite spots in Colorado, as well as other out-of-state destinations. One of his more recent plans was to drive to San Francisco to visit Kerri and her family. We will always remember him in his favorite bright-green Porsche Targa with his 8 tracks playing in the open wind.
Ron's relationship to God was very important to him, and he died believing that God had a final road trip planned for him. We wish him love and happy memories on this journey and will miss him greatly. A memorial service will be planned for after the pandemic, when we look forward to sharing our memories of Ron. In lieu of flowers, we ask that you please donate to the environmental or animal welfare non-profit of your choice.
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