Bertram COOPER

COOPER, Bertram Bertram Cooper, 84, of Manchester, died Thursday (March 25, 2010) at the Hebrew Home in West Hartford. He was the beloved husband for 43 years of the late Riva S. (Kopper) Cooper. Born in Cambridge, MA, he was the son of the late Albert and Dorothy (Halpern) Cooper and the last surviving of five children. He was a US Navy veteran of WWII and the Korean Conflict. He served as a Field Corpsman with the US Marine Corps, 1st Division earning numerous medals, citations and decorations. He fought in the battle of Guadal-canal and Okinawa and in the later battle coincidentally met up with his brother who was driving a jeep and fighting with the Marines in the 2nd Division and who was wounded in the battle. As a Corpsman, Bert performed critical life saving service to fallen Marines in mobile hospitals as part of early "Mash" units. A third brother also fought in WWII in the US Army. Bert's father served in the US Army during WWI within General Pershing's staff and his uncle was a US Army colonel during WWI fighting in France and Germany. Bert loved baseball and could claim to have shaken hands when he was young with Babe Ruth and Lou Gehrig and then with Joe DiMaggio at a makeshift baseball game after the fighting on Okinawa. Bert worked in the food sale business most of his life selling for Chef Boyardee. He had numerous other sale positions over the years, remaining active well into his 70's ending with selling specialty advertising products. He was a lifetime member of Temple Beth Sholom in Manchester and an active volunteer for many organizations including the Manchester school system. Bert was a loving and devoted husband, father, brother and grandfather. He is survived by his son Glenn Cooper and his wife Peggy of Southboro, MA; his daughter Judi Gallagher and her husband Paul of Sarasota, FL; four cherished grandsons, Alex, Charlie, Robbie and Eric. He was predeceased by his daughter Hilary and three brothers and his sister. A funeral will be graveside with full military honors, Sunday March 28 at 10:30 AM at the Beth Sholom Memorial Park Cemetery, Autumn St. in Manchester with Rabbi Richard Plavin officiating. Due to the Passover holiday the family will observe a private period of mourning. In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to Beth Sholom B'nai Israel, 400 Middle Turnpike East, Manchester, 06040. The family wishes to thank the entire staff of the Hebrew Home for their exemplary care. Bert's own reflection on life was "I loved my family and country and did the best I could". Funeral arrangements provided by Hebrew Funeral Association, Inc., 906 Farmington Ave., West Hartford.