Leslie Cooley

Leslie Les Walker COOLEY, AHC 9, Seattle, died peacefully July 7 in his favorite chair, at the family home in Seattle. Born December 12, 1933 to Leslie E. and Evelyn Parks Cooley of Portland Oregon, the family moved to Seattle while Les was in elementary school. In 1953 he joined the US Navy and completed two Mediterranean tours serving as an aviation machinist mate. Upon discharge from his Korean War-era naval service, he began a career in the architectural hardware industry that would span more than forty years. Beginning as a warehouseman, Les rose to the position of president and senior partner of Contract Hardware, a leading Seattle architectural hardware firm that counts Nordstrom and the UW among its clients. His business philosophy was rooted in strong customer support and contact combined with a deep sense of commitment to the welfare of the firm's employees. "Get out there and spend time with the customer," he would often tell the corporate sales force, "You can't service the product with electronic mail and faxes." Les retired from Contract Hardware in 1995 but continued to mentor younger architectural hardware professionals including Steve McCabe of San Diego. "I often sought his guidance to solve business problems during our 15 year friendship," Steve said. As a young father Les enjoyed fishing and camping, and delighted in secretly hooking rainbow trout, setting the hook and casually handing the pole over to one of his small children to "hold" and hear the child squeal "Fish on!" in delight. As a young adult resident of the Richmond Beach community, Les served with what was then an all volunteer fire department. He loved driving the fire truck and kept his safety gear ready to step right into next to his bed. In later years, fishing outings included guided drift-boat fishing on Skagit River with family and friends in pursuit of the elusive steelhead trout. Winter-run steelhead fishing was often so cold that icicles would cling to the mono- filament line and whiskey was circulated among the fisherman to warm their inner core. In the fall Les would often gather his two sons and head up to Seiku for a week of companionship and salmon fishing, returning with enough fish to supply the whole family. Les never met a stranger; he made friends of every age wherever he went, including his walks to Matthew's Beach and at numerous neighborhood restaurants. His friends and family will miss him very much. Les is survived by his wife, Jeanette; daughter, Linda Cooley; sons Leslie and Daniel Cooley; and grandchildren Christopher and Jennifer Cooley and Aeron Wicks, all of Seattle. Memorial Service will be held at Evergreen-Washelli Funeral Home 2 p.m. Friday, July 18, 2003. The service will be followed by a Celebration of Life at a another location. In lieu of flowers remembrances may be made to your favorite charity.