Ilene Nancy Cooper

Ilene Nancy (nee Schenk) Cooper, 80. Born June 5, 1942. Predeceased by her beloved husband Maxwell. Survived by three daughters: Ellie Cooper Arend, Lori Cooper, and Randi Setterlund (Stephen), and her two grandsons, Cooper and Liam Setterlund.

Ilene graduated from Overbrook High School and studied nursing at Hahnemann University. She was a loved preschool teacher at Temple Israel in Upper Darby for many years, and maintained contact with her students and their parents years after retirement.

She had a lifelong love of music, and spent countless hours with Max, listening to the artists of the American Songbook, as well as a variety of musical theater. She especially adored singer Barbara Cook and composers Alec Wilder and Stephen Sondheim, and could recite every lyric from all of Sondheim's shows. She met fellow music-lovers through social media groups, and formed years-long bonds with many of those virtual friends.

In her younger days, Ilene enjoyed gardening, and she and Max even grew a grapevine on the patio of their Philadelphia row home that was featured in a local magazine.

Ilene was a wonderful cook and loved to entertain. She passed these skills along to her daughters, who always knew to have cheese and crackers and a bottle of wine on hand for unexpected visitors.

Ilene loved the ocean, ice cream, flea markets, and costume jewelry. She had a knack for home decor that drew the admiration of many visitors. She had a quick wit and could write a poem or parody a song on a moment's notice.

Funeral arrangements are private. If you would like to honor Ilene with a memorial donation, contributions can be made to Friends of Alec Wilder, an organization dedicated to preserving his music and life's work:

https://alecwilder.wedid.it/