Cooper Russell Bertram

Cooper Bertram, age 20 of Elko, Minnesota, son of Trent and Sara Bertram, passed away accidentally on August 15, 2024. Mass of Christian Burial, 11 AM Friday, August 23, 2024 at Saint Nicholas Catholic Church in New Market, MN. Visitation from 5 to 8 PM Thursday, August 22, at White Funeral Home, Lakeville. live stream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-ZoH2KdaZs or www.youtube.com cooper Bertram
Cooper (Coop, Co-op, Tooper, Toopie, Super-blooper-duper) Russell Bertram was born September 15, 2003 in Burnsville, MN to Trent and Sara Bertram. Cooper grew up in Elko, MN along side his older brother Carter and younger sister Callie. He was a 2022 graduate of Lakeville South High School and obtained a degree in Heavy Duty Truck Technology from Dakota County Technical College in 2024. Cooper worked at Dakota Truck and Crown Underground, where enjoyed working on equipment, being greasy, listening to his music, and practicing his trade.
Cooper lived every moment of his life to the fullest. Cooper's presence was always known. If you met Cooper, you have a Cooper story. He was energetic, caring, passionate, adventurous, joyful, and full of love.
From the beginning Cooper played hard and loved harder. His biggest challenge was finding a way to fit all the adventures he would dream up into one day. No time to eat or sleep - he just wanted to execute the current moments plan. Cooper, his siblings, and the neighborhood kids loved the 'country' Elko neighborhood. He spent his day playing, climbing, building, breaking, fishing, skating, sledding, skiing - nothing was off the table. Often impulsive but ever entertaining. He loved to shoot his bow and arrow and bb-gun in the backyard. He loved to ride 4-wheeler on the trails in Pete's hill and shooting fireworks, which were never out of season in Elko. He enjoyed playing hockey and baseball. In 2016, he made lifelong memories playing baseball at Cooperstown Dream Park in Cooperstown, NY. In junior high Coop fell in love with hunting and fishing. From neighborhood ponds, to shore fishing, to the 'duck boat' in nearby lakes, he spent hours trying to catch large mouth bass. He moved from bass fishing to hunting. While he's not known for being the most quiet person, Coop was eventually able to snag a few deer. He found duck and goose hunting to be more his style. He could be heard practicing and perfecting his calls both in and outside of the house. Waking up predawn to go set up and sit in the blinds brought him so much happiness. Waders and decoys became his new toys. Cooper most recently discovered his passion for golf. Shanking balls at the tee box were still mulligans, but he was convinced he was on his way to becoming a scratch golfer. Cooper fell in love with 'riding hog'. It started with riding the Harley which soon wasn't enough adventure for Coop. He loved the open free ride and excitement that came with a sports motorcycle. Cooper was so looking forward to his 21st birthday, and had been planning out a trip - seeking advice from all of us.
Cooper was the entertainment of the neighborhood. You could watch the day's activities unfold from the driveway or he'd catch you up through conversation of his descriptive stories. He enjoyed sharing his wisdom with the younger kids in the hood. Important stuff like how to put cards or cans in your bike tire spokes or how soft goose feathers were. He would spend many hours just chatting with the adults - he loved a good reaction.
He loved his family. He would protect and defend his siblings at any time, to anyone. He would be there as fast as he could if they ever needed help. Together they supported each other through the ups and downs of growing up. Thick as thieves... so many memories made and now cherished. Reading the room, knowing how he needed to support each of us for whatever came. He gave daily morning and evening hugs. He was full of daily good nights and I love you's. He didn't love keeping his room clean or cleaning the bathroom, but was always up to 'cheffing' something to eat. Never enough ranch or BBQ sauce. His love of peanut butter and jelly was unmatched. We were convinced he was never moving out. We are so thankful for the 20 years he spent with us. We know he was God's first.
He loved his friends. Cooper made the kind of friends that lasted a lifetime. Ride or die, with you to the end, kind of friends. The friends most of us dream about having or wish we had. The friends who fight and love like brothers. Look out for and protect each other, there at a moments notice to bail you out, fix something, haul something, jump in and save you kind of friends.
Those closest to Cooper knew that the tough exterior was all for show. That he was the biggest, most tender hearted person we knew. He knew and loved his Lord and savior, Jesus Christ. He served as an alter server at St. Nicholas. He spent time with Jesus in Holy Adoration. He knew his prayers and knew he could never outrun the Lord's call for him. He knew our jobs were to help each other get to heaven. He was a donor and are thankful that he chose to share of himself in this very special and noble way.
Love will hold us together, and that love is Jesus Christ himself. Our prayer is that all of us mourning the loss of Cooper on earth allow Jesus carry us through the pain and someday into the glory of heaven to be with Cooper again.
We are overwhelmed with the outpouring of love and generosity of our community, both in MN and SD. There are no words which could properly express our sadness or gratitude. We intend to establish a scholarship memorial in Cooper's name for future Heavy Duty Truck Technology students at DCTC.
Live stream https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O-ZoH2KdaZs
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