Larry D. Cooper

Larry D. Cooper, 78, of Hamilton, passed away at his home Saturday, September 13, 2025, at 2:26 PM. Larry was born on January 26, 1947, in Hamilton, Illinois. His mother was Edna M. Sherrill Cooper-Day. His stepfather was Earl Day of Hamilton, Illinois. He married Emily June Burnett on June 18, 1967. Within that marriage, they had four children- Wendy Noble (Mitchell Cleek) of Warsaw, Illinois; David (Shari) Cooper of Germantown, Illinois; Rebecca Cooper of Keokuk, Iowa; and Brittany (Zach) Ferdig of Hamilton, Illinois. Larry was the grandfather of 17 grandchildren and 33 great-grandchildren. Larry is survived by his brother-in-law Gerald Herr of Keokuk, Iowa; his brother-in-law Earl David (Chris) Burnett of Canton, Missouri; and a Special Foster grandchild, Chad Stover. Larry was preceded in death by his Wife, Emily June, whom he loved dearly; his parents and his grandparents; his sister Linda Cooper Heberer-Ferguson; his brother-in-law Robert Burnett; his adopted Native Brother, Kenneth Merschbrock; his grandson, Clinton Dale Treadwell; a nephew, a great-nephew, a niece, and a great-niece. Over the years, the Cooper home was open to many Foster Children, Special Needs, and homeless people. They always had room for one more. Throughout his youth, Larry lived with many relatives- Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, and Grandparents. His work-career started out cooking at the Ritz Cafe in Keokuk, Iowa, and from there he cooked at the Office Tavern. He then moved on and managed the Hotel Iowa dining room. When he was 18, Larry went to work at Tingly Products in Ipava, Illinois. From there he moved on to Caterpillar Inc. in East Peoria, Illinois and worked there for the next 31 years. He then worked part-time at Sunrise Poultry for several years. Larry "retired" and then worked for Hospice and Home Care- he always had someone to take care of. Larry was a Lifetime Member of the United Auto Workers 974 in East Peoria, Illinois, and he was also a Precinct Committeeman for 17 years. While living in East Peoria, Larry worked on the Illinois Migrant Council, where the council accomplished many things for the migrant workers at the time. Larry was also a volunteer lobbyist in Springfield, Illinois for almost six years. In his spare time, he helped found the Hamilton Food Pantry; he always found time to clean up the Riverfront; and Larry, along with his wife and friends, were Water Protectors and part of the movement to protest the building of the oil pipeline under the Mississippi River. Larry and his wife worked on the Cutback Amendment, which reduced the size of the Illinois House of Representatives. It was successfully accomplished. Larry also went before the Illinois Senate to argue the debate of the 2008 smoking law in order to protect the rights of Native People so they could continue to smudge in their ceremonies (smudge means cleansing by smoke from the sage plant). Larry successfully helped change that law; he tried for all religious rights but only got the Native Americans in that bill. Larry, his wife June, and some family members are members of the Bird Clan of the Tsalagyi-Nvdagi Eastern Band Tribe. In his spare time, Larry composed many books. They consisted of his family tree and family history. He also composed books on pioneer cemeteries, which he researched and helped restore. Arrangements were made to turn all this information over the Hancock County Historical Society. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 AM Saturday, September 20, 2025, at Printy Funeral Home in Hamilton with burial to follow in Oakwood Cemetery in Hamilton. Visitation will be held Friday evening from 4:00 – 7:00 PM at Printy Funeral Home in Hamilton. In lieu of flowers, memorials can be made to the Tsalagyi-Nvdagi Tribe. To send flowers to the family, please visit our floral store.