Marcia Ruther Cooper

for the past 70 years. Marcia is survived by her two sons, James and B. Eric, grandsons Bradley and

Alexander, and two great grandsons. She and her late husband Elwood were married in 1944, upon his return from the North African and European Campaigns , where he had served and attained the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army during World War II.

Marcia grew up in Manhattan and could best be described as a “word” person. She graduated as an English major from New York University. A regular patron of the Hillsdale Library, it is estimated that she read more than 8,000 books in the course of her lifetime. Marcia was an avid and savvy scrabble player and she could regularly complete the New York Times Sunday crossword puzzle in less than two hours. Additionally, Marcia enjoyed producing pillows with needlepoint and participating in a duplicate bridge game twice weekly.

Marcia attributed her longevity to a lifetime of low stress and the inheritance of good genes.

As she was known to say, it had nothing to do with a healthy diet or regular exercise. Clearly she was a character and will be greatly missed by her surviving family and friends. Please share fond memories and condolences.