DENNIS B. COOPER

DENNIS BOWMAN COOPER  
Dennis Bowman Cooper, 67, of Asheville, North Carolina passed away February 9, 2015 in hospice care after a six-year struggle with cancer.  Dennis was born on May 25, 1947 at Maxwell AFB in Montgomery, Alabama where his father served in the U.S. Air Force. Dennis graduated from Culver Military Academy in 1965. He attended Duke, Syracuse and the University of Maryland where he graduated Magna Cum Laude. During the Vietnam era, Dennis joined the U.S. Air Force as a Russian Linguist. In addition to military service, he also served as a Volunteer in Service to America (VISTA). After completing college, Dennis went to work in 1974 for the Federal Aviation Administration in Washington, DC in the field of international aviation cooperative programs. Dennis was selected in 1993 as the first Senior FAA Representative to the former USSR, representing U.S. aviation interests in all 15 former Soviet republics.  In June of 2002 Dennis retired from the FAA and worked as an independent consultant to the aviation industry and international organizations. Dennis eventually retired from aviation altogether spending time at his lakeside home in New Durham, New Hampshire.  Dennis moved to Asheville in 2012 with his wife Laura. In addition to Laura, Dennis is survived by his son, Alex, who is currently serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Senegal, Africa; two older brothers, John and Bill, who live in the Washington, DC area; and many beloved nieces and nephews. Memorial donations may be made to Brother Wolf Animal Rescue in Asheville, NC, or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. A more extensive obituary may be read and condolences made to the family online at www.AshevilleMortuaryServices.com