Gordon Louis COOPER

Gordon Louis Cooper
April 15, 1921-August 25, 2013
Gordon Cooper passed away peacefully August 25th, 2013 at the age of 92 in St. Catharines, Ontario. He entered this world quietly and being an unassuming person, it was his wish to depart without fuss or ceremony. He is survived by Shirley, his beloved wife of 59 years and his son Jim (Louise) and grandchildren Alexander and Sarah. Other cherished surviving family members are sister-in-law Margaret Anne Cooper, nieces Brenda, Lyn and Cathy Cooper, Joanne Watson and Sally Williams. Gordon was born in Ormstown, Quebec, son of the late Dr. Merrill Cooper and Annie Cooper. He was predeceased by older brothers Russell, Ralph, Douglas and Everett. Orphaned at an early age he was raised by his eldest brother Russell and wife Elora in small towns in Quebec. Shortly after graduating from Bishops University in 1940 with a B.SC. he joined the RCAF and subsequently served as an Officer Pilot on a RAF Hurricane Squadron in England. He was shot down in 1942 and spent 3 years as a POW in Stalog Luft 3 in Germany, from which the Great Escape took place and 50 of his fellow prisoners were shot by the Gestapo. His job was a sand disperser on the escape tunnel project. After the war he attended Mc Gill University in Montreal, graduating with a Chemical Engineering degree in 1949. Shortly thereafter, he worked for the Ontario Paper Company in Thorold for 30 years, retiring in 1983. For the last two decades of his working life he served as mill manager and subsequently VP of Operations of the company and its affiliate, the Quebec North Shore Paper Company in Baie Comeau, Quebec and also as director of the company and several of its affiliates. During his working life, he also served as a Committee Chairman or member of National, Provincial and several local organizations. He was a longtime Royal Canadian Legion member and a St. Catharines Rotary Club Lifetime Honorary member. In his retirement, he spent many happy times playing golf and bridge with friends at the St. Catharines Golf and Country Club. Cremation and burial have taken place. If so desired, donations can be made to the Canadian Red Cross, whose food parcels helped to keep him alive when he was a POW.