James "Buddy" Cooper

James “Buddy” Alan Cooper

12/25/1958 – 10/8/2019

James “Buddy” Cooper, 60, of Sonora, CA, passed away on Tuesday, October 8, 2019 while walking his dogs Bailey, Penny and Belle.  A Cardiac event.  Buddy was born in Fullerton, CA to Willis Dean and Gloria Cooper.   He was born into a military family and moved a lot in his early years, Virginia, Tennessee, Florida and Guam.   Buddy’s teenage years were spent in Santa Clara, CA and he attended Santa Clara High School.

Buddy was united in marriage to Kimberly Joan Crock on March 19, 1983 in San Jose, CA.   Where they resided in San Jose and Sonora, CA.

Buddy’s career history includes, 40 years in the Semiconductor industry. Technical Support Manager/Engineer, Senior Product Support Manager for the Metal/Dielectric Etch Division at Applied Materials, Inc.; Director, Business Development at ChemTrace Corporation; Director of Site Operations at QuantumClean/Applied Materials; A Technical Consultant for the past few years.

Buddy held a B.A. in Management from Saint Mary’s College as well as an A.S. from West Valley College in Electronics Technology.

Buddy’s hobbies were Martial Arts, Biking, Golf, Reading, Metal Detecting, Fly Fishing, Star Gazing, and walking the dogs.  He loved his time at our Pinecrest cabin and was planning many more years there.

Buddy was preceded in death by his parents, Willis Dean and Gloria Audrey Cooper.

He is survived by his wife, Kimberly Cooper of Sonora, CA; his daughter, Jessica Cooper of Jamestown, CA; his son, Ryan Cooper of San Jose, CA; his brother, Ronald Cooper and his wife Ning of Escondido, CA; his sister, Theresa Zarcone and her husband Robert of San Jose, CA.

Buddy served in the United States Navy from 1978 to 1984 and was honorably discharged.

Bud loved his entire family; his nieces and nephews held a special place in his heart.  He was “Uncle Bud”.  He was looking forward to many more years of sharing his time with them.  His time was cut too short for all he planned to do.  Thankfully, he lived his life to the fullest with no regrets.

A Gathering of Family and Friends will be held on Sunday, October 27, 2019, 2:00 pm at Hurst Ranch 17415 CA-108, Jamestown, CA 95327 that will include a luncheon.