Raymon L. Cooper, Sr.

Raymon “Ray” or “Coop” Cooper Sr. was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV September 9, 1967.

As a military child he spent his youth living in Vegas, Colorado, California, and Georgia. He graduated from Rancho Cordova High (CA) in 1986 and relocated to Springfield where he has resided ever since with his family. At age 18, Ray married Michelle & during their 18-year union they raised two daughters Raela Marie and Secoha Michelle, and one son Raymon Jr. Ray was a family man and dedicated his entire life to making sure that together, he and Michelle, provided love, guidance and support to their children and grandchildren. Through that Ray taught his children to be responsible, independent, confident, and hard working, and he was very proud of them. Ray was known as “Papa” to his four grandchildren Kiara Raynelle Grant, Kaine Reginald Grant, Raye Zara Cooper and Rowen Darrell Cooper. He played a strong role in raising all of his grandchildren and being there to make sure they all had the love and discipline they needed; and he spoiled them by giving them whatever they wanted.

Ray had many hobbies. He grew up playing baseball and basketball and was offered a full ride scholarship his senior year of high school in 1986. Ray coached in the community for several of his children’s teams, in their younger years, teaching them the ins and outs of soccer, track and field, basketball, and softball. Among other things, Ray enjoyed watching sports. His favorite team was the Las Vegas Raiders and before that the New York Jets. Ray loved to take on home improvement projects especially after watching a show on HGTV. In his spare time, you wouldn’t find Ray without his music. He would have a speaker somewhere close by playing his favorite tunes, that ranged from Snoop Dog to Isley brothers. Ray worked to perfect his passion for cooking. He owned every gadget, cooking source, and seasoning he felt he needed to prepare the perfect meal for those he loved. If you didn’t find him in the back on his grills or smokers, he was at the store getting the ingredients he needed to make everyone satisfied.

Most of all Ray enjoyed traveling especially to Las Vegas to visit his family (especially his granny), among other places. Ray loved to travel by plane or car. Some of the latest places he’s taken his family include Universal Studios, Jamaica, Bahamas, the Grand Canyon, and Disney World. Ray spent much of his career in the environmental services field. He was a superb cleaner. He was a supervisor of Environmental Services at Baystate Medical Center where he worked for 18 years. He was part of the family-owned Cooper Cleaning where he employed and taught his children, and grandchildren the ins and outs of proper cleaning, which will be passed down generations to come. He later went on to earn his Master’s degree and became an educator, teaching his favorite subject “History” in the Springfield School System to many grades. Ray left a legacy as an educator.

Ray was a calm man, a simple man, who loved to smile, loved to help wherever he could, and someone who never met a stranger. To know him was to love him. He had a good heart, loved to laugh and was known for always smiling. Ray departed this life just 10 days after his 56th birthday. Raymon “Coop” Cooper will be deeply missed and is predeceased by his paternal grandfather Ennis Cooper Sr, and his maternal grandparents Leroy & Mary Munerlyn.

He is survived by his grandmother Clara (Ennis Cooper Sr.), mother, Marilyn Munerlyn, father, Ennis Cooper Jr. (wife Curlene), brothers Raymond Cooper, Bryan Holmes, Troy Amaro; and sisters Monica Brown, Avia Collins, Alisha Hardy and Janet Ferguson. His three children Raela, Secoha, and Raymon Jr., his grandchildren Kiara, Kaine, Raye, and Rowen, his co-parenting partner in life Michelle Cooper, and a host of nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts, uncles, extended family, and friends. May Raymon “Coop” Cooper rest in peace until he is reunited with his family and friends again.

Services will be Saturday, October 7th at Nowak Funeral Home with calling hours 12-1 pm and service 1-2.

Ray was a 2-time renal transplant patient. Special thanks to Drs. Mulhern & Poindexter from Kidney Care, Ray’s second family. Thanks for all you have done!

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Raymon L. Cooper, Sr., please visit our floral store.