William Olds Cooley

William Olds Cooley

William Olds Cooley, died September 8, 2008 at his home in Winchester, Virginia. Born August 30, 1922 in Reliance, Virginia he was the son of the late William Otterbein Cooley and Ruby Phoebe Myers Cooley. He resided in Reliance until 1926 when his family moved to Washington, D.C. where his father and uncle started what later became the Cooley Construction Company.

A graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School, Mr. Cooley later went on to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a member of the class of 1944 and the Chi Psi Fraternity. When World War Two began Mr. Cooley put his education on hold and enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve in 1943 and graduated from the United States Naval Reserve Midshipman School at Columbia University, New York, New York on April 13, 1944. He was deployed into the Atlantic Fleet later that month.

During his naval service Mr. Cooley served in many theatres of the war including North Africa, Italy, Europe and the Philippines serving aboard both Landing Ship Tank (LST) and Landing Craft Infantry (LCI) ships throughout the war. He served in many capacities aboard ship and through hard work and determination he later became the executive officer of the Landing Craft Infantry ship number 37.

While home on leave after the capitulation of Germany he married Mary Jane Frost on May 19, 1945 in a ceremony at the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church of Washington, D.C. He later redeployed to the southwest Pacific and returned home in late 1945. Mr. Cooley remained in the United States Navy's Ready Reserve until the spring of 1955 attaining the rank of Lieutenant.

After the war Mr. Cooley returned with his bride to the University of North Carolina where he earned a bachelors degree in economics in August of 1946. Upon graduation Mr. Cooley joined his father in the construction business where they built many homes in Maryland, D.C. and Virginia building such well known subdivisions as Walnut Woods, Runnymede and Ashleigh as well as the Battery Lane Apartments in Bethesda and the Cavalier Apartments in Winchester.

During his home building career Mr. Cooley was a past member of the Board of Directors of the Metropolitan Washington Home Builders Association, served as a founding Director and second Chairman of the Home Builders Association of Montgomery County, Maryland and served as a founding Director of the Maryland State Institute of Home Builders all of which are affiliated with the National Association of Home Builders.

In 1965 after almost twenty years in the building business Mr. Cooley semi retired, but returned to government service when he joined the General Services Administration in 1968. He was a Buildings Manager at various GSA field offices in the Washington, D.C. area including the Veterans Administration and the State Department. He received many letters of commendation from the General Services Administration and a much coveted letter of appreciation from Joseph "Max" Cleland Administrator of the United States Veterans Administration.

Mr. Cooley was an active member of the congregation of the Chevy Chase Presbyterian Church of Washington, D.C. serving in many offices and capacities as well as the church school.

In 1980 Mr. Cooley retired from government service and returned to his native state with his wife in 1983.

Surviving are his wife of sixty-three years Mary Jane Frost Cooley of Winchester and son Robert Edward Cooley of Stephens City, Virginia. His eldest son William Frederick Cooley predeceased his father on August 4, 2005. At the request of the family funeral services are to be private with Mr. Cooley being interred at Shenandoah Memorial Park, Winchester, Virginia.

In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in his name to the American Heart Association National Center, 7272 Greenville Avenue, Dallas, Texas 75231 or the Round Hill Community Fire and Rescue Company, 769 Round Hill Road, P.O. Box 1368, Winchester, Virginia 22604.

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