Thomas Jeffrey Cooper
2025
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Thomas Jeffrey Cooper, 74, passed away peacefully and surrounded by love, on September 21, 2025, after a courageous year-long battle with cancer and its effects.
Tom was born April 5 of 1951 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Thomas Crawford Cooper and Harriet Emmerling Cooper. He was raised in the suburbs of Cleveland, and he lettered in high school track. A dedicated Eagle Scout, Tom periodically served as his troop's chaplain and sang with his friends in a school rock band.
His parents hoped he would follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Bishop Clark Cooper, and become a Methodist minister. He studied for the ministry at Kentucky Wesleyan College before transferring to The Ohio State University, where he witnessed historic demonstrations against the Vietnam War and experienced their intensity firsthand.
Tom had a lifelong passion for travel. With his guitar in hand, he hitchhiked to New York City, Florida's beaches, and Montreal, Quebec. He worked at the famed 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, one of the largest concerts in history, drawing more than 600,000 fans. He moved west and studied art at the San Francisco Art Institute and at the City College of San Francisco. He was trained as a printer and worked for the San Francisco Chronicle.
After settling in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, Tom was a student at the University of California - Los Angeles and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Redlands. He survived multiple earthquakes in the state, including the 1994 Northridge earthquake in the San Fernando Valley.
Tom built a long and successful career working in association with the United States Department of Defense, initially providing graphics for aerospace manufacturer Northrop Grumman. Over time, he became an expert in federal and commercial contracting, developing and supporting proposals for related organizations including TRW Inc., NASA, and Airbus.
He lived in Miami, Florida, and Alexandria, Virginia for many years. In 2001, he experienced the impact of the September 11 attack on the Pentagon from his home eight miles away. In the years that followed, Tom returned to his artistic roots, creating large-scale mixed-media collages. His modernist paintings were exhibited in the Washington, D.C. area.
On Valentine's Day Eve in 2014, he met his soulmate and the love of his life, Poppy (Patricia) Wallman. They married the following January and honeymooned across Western Europe.
In retirement, he fully embraced music as a singer, songwriter, and musician. Tom performed at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, and at dozens of venues in California, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Virginia. He released CDs and EPs featuring a unique blend of folk, rock, ballads, and alt country. His songs received frequent airplay on Milwaukee radio, and his music was last heard on 89.9 WORT in Madison.
He was a member of the National Contracts Management Association, the United Methodist Church, and Toastmasters International.
Tom lives on in the hearts of his loving family: his wife, Poppy; stepdaughter, Molly McFarland; son-in-law, Aggelos (Ajay) Vilos; and grandson, Max Vilos; sister, Nancy (Gary) Champion; brother, Dan; and cousin, Candace (Ken) Forest. Other survivors are sister-in-law, Susan Sheldon; brothers-in-law and their wives, Steve (Betsy), Jeff (Finley), and Andy (Jen) Wallman.
He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife, Martita Gaydou Cooper, Esq.; brother-in-law, Mike Sheldon; and mother-in-law, Charline ("Chee Chee") Wallman.
Friends and family are invited to celebrate Tom's life on Saturday, April 25, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Columbus Plaza, 233 E. Wacker Drive at Columbus Drive in Chicago. Cards may be sent to this address in care of Molly McFarland, and if desired, memorials in Tom's name may be made directly to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, the Autism Science Foundation, or the Sepsis Alliance.
Tom prayed for his loved ones and for world peace every day. He loved life, made ours better, and will always be remembered with great love and affection.
Tom was born April 5 of 1951 in Cleveland, Ohio, to Thomas Crawford Cooper and Harriet Emmerling Cooper. He was raised in the suburbs of Cleveland, and he lettered in high school track. A dedicated Eagle Scout, Tom periodically served as his troop's chaplain and sang with his friends in a school rock band.
His parents hoped he would follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, Bishop Clark Cooper, and become a Methodist minister. He studied for the ministry at Kentucky Wesleyan College before transferring to The Ohio State University, where he witnessed historic demonstrations against the Vietnam War and experienced their intensity firsthand.
Tom had a lifelong passion for travel. With his guitar in hand, he hitchhiked to New York City, Florida's beaches, and Montreal, Quebec. He worked at the famed 1973 Summer Jam at Watkins Glen, one of the largest concerts in history, drawing more than 600,000 fans. He moved west and studied art at the San Francisco Art Institute and at the City College of San Francisco. He was trained as a printer and worked for the San Francisco Chronicle.
After settling in Los Angeles in the early 1980s, Tom was a student at the University of California - Los Angeles and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from the University of Redlands. He survived multiple earthquakes in the state, including the 1994 Northridge earthquake in the San Fernando Valley.
Tom built a long and successful career working in association with the United States Department of Defense, initially providing graphics for aerospace manufacturer Northrop Grumman. Over time, he became an expert in federal and commercial contracting, developing and supporting proposals for related organizations including TRW Inc., NASA, and Airbus.
He lived in Miami, Florida, and Alexandria, Virginia for many years. In 2001, he experienced the impact of the September 11 attack on the Pentagon from his home eight miles away. In the years that followed, Tom returned to his artistic roots, creating large-scale mixed-media collages. His modernist paintings were exhibited in the Washington, D.C. area.
On Valentine's Day Eve in 2014, he met his soulmate and the love of his life, Poppy (Patricia) Wallman. They married the following January and honeymooned across Western Europe.
In retirement, he fully embraced music as a singer, songwriter, and musician. Tom performed at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas, and at dozens of venues in California, Illinois, Wisconsin, and Virginia. He released CDs and EPs featuring a unique blend of folk, rock, ballads, and alt country. His songs received frequent airplay on Milwaukee radio, and his music was last heard on 89.9 WORT in Madison.
He was a member of the National Contracts Management Association, the United Methodist Church, and Toastmasters International.
Tom lives on in the hearts of his loving family: his wife, Poppy; stepdaughter, Molly McFarland; son-in-law, Aggelos (Ajay) Vilos; and grandson, Max Vilos; sister, Nancy (Gary) Champion; brother, Dan; and cousin, Candace (Ken) Forest. Other survivors are sister-in-law, Susan Sheldon; brothers-in-law and their wives, Steve (Betsy), Jeff (Finley), and Andy (Jen) Wallman.
He was preceded in death by his parents; first wife, Martita Gaydou Cooper, Esq.; brother-in-law, Mike Sheldon; and mother-in-law, Charline ("Chee Chee") Wallman.
Friends and family are invited to celebrate Tom's life on Saturday, April 25, from 12:00 PM to 3:00 PM at Columbus Plaza, 233 E. Wacker Drive at Columbus Drive in Chicago. Cards may be sent to this address in care of Molly McFarland, and if desired, memorials in Tom's name may be made directly to the Lymphoma Research Foundation, the Autism Science Foundation, or the Sepsis Alliance.
Tom prayed for his loved ones and for world peace every day. He loved life, made ours better, and will always be remembered with great love and affection.
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