Ronald J. Cooper

Ronald Jonathan Cooper Sr passed away peacefully Wednesday June 15, 2022, at his home in Kalamazoo, Michigan at the age of 78, surrounded by his loved ones. Often referred to as Ronnie or Ron, he will always be remembered as a loving husband, father, brother, friend and grandfather.

Ronald was on born April 29, 1944, in Chicago, Illinois to Perry and Jeanette (Johnson) Cooper, the middle child of seven siblings. Ron married Margaret Allen and had three beautiful daughters, before divorcing. In addition to living in Chicago, Ronnie lived and work in Alaska for several years before settling down in Michigan. While living in Michigan, Ronald found Angelia (Bell) Cooper, fell in love, married on June 18, 1976, and in love increase their large family of six to eight. Ronnie and Angelia remained in Kalamazoo where they raised their family and lived happily for nearly fifty years. After being hired at Clarage Fan where he worked as a supervisor for several years, Ronnie went on to work at Mead Paper Products, before ultimately going on to retiring from The Upjohn Company.

Throughout his life, Ronnie enjoyed many hobbies including fishing, camping, being outdoors, boating, and gardening; however, he found the most enjoyment in spending time with his family including a host of grand and great grandchildren. Ronnie was also very social and spent time building relationships with others through dialogue. Whether in his home office or over the phone, he never ran out of things to talk about. He was also a connoisseur of a good meal and enjoyed cooking, barbecuing and family gatherings.

Though his passing is very unfortunate, Ronnie surely would not want family and friends to mourn his death, but instead celebrate his life-long, love filled journey. He would say…while it's alright to miss me, don't let my passing upend your life with grief, sadness, or sorrow. While his physical self is gone and the flame of his life extinguished, we should all find comfort in knowing the embers of his legacy will remain alight within those he leaves behind.

Ronald has left an astounding legacy to cherish and honor his name which includes his loving wife, Angelia Cooper; his children Natalie Pines, Waverly (Theresa) Bell, Larry Bell, Kelly (Chris) Cooper-Brown, Marcell (Kristie) Bell, Rhonda (Clinton) Lewis, Ronald (Terri) Cooper Jr; siblings Perry Cooper Jr, Margaret Roby, Delbert (Esther) Cooper, Lynn (Darrell) Underwood, Tracy Cooper; twenty-seven grand-children and twenty-six great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. Ronald was preceded in death by his daughter Lisa Cooper, parents Perry and Jeanette Cooper, brother Keith Cooper, and his sister Delores Irving.

"Those we Love don't go away, they walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard, but always near still loved, still missed and very dear."
- Alex MacLean

A Dedication and Special Thanks from the family…

We would like to express our sincere appreciation for the love, support, condolences, prayers, gifts, and acts of kindness we received which helped to comfort us during this very difficult time. Also, thank you so much for sharing in this special day to honor the life and legacy of Ronald J. Cooper.

Visitation will be from 2:00-3:00pm Saturday, June 25 at the Langeland Family Funeral Homes, 3926 South 9th Street where a homegoing service will begin at 3:00pm. To view Ron's personalized webpage please visit https://www.langelands.com