Gary E Cooper

Gary Eugene Cooper, long time resident of Cantonment, FL, went to be with the Lord on Tuesday, July 23, 2024, at age 83. He was born in Greenup County, KY on June 14, 1941 to the late Kenneth Ransom and Irene (Wilburn) Cooper. He spent most of his youth in the area straddling the Ohio River between Portsmouth, OH and Kehoe, KY. Gary entered the United States Marine Corps. in 1958. Gary and Marie, his future wife, met in 1961 while attending a football game at her alma matre, J.M. Tate High School. They were married in 1962. During Gary’s career in the military, they lived in various locations including Beaufort, SC; Panama Canal Zone, Panama; Waco, TX; and Heath, OH; finally settling in Cantonment, FL, Marie’s hometown. He served one combat tour in Vietnam, and retired from the Marines as a Gunnery Sergeant in 1978. He worked 15 years for the United States Postal Service, primarily as a rural mail carrier, and retired from the Cantonment Post Office in 1997. He established High Noon Mailbox Service, a one-man operation through which he installed hundreds of curbside mailboxes across the local area over a span of 10 years. He was an active member and deacon at Hillcrest Baptist Church, where he served in many ministries throughout his life in Cantonment. Gary was enthusiastic about reading his Bible and sharing his Christian faith with others; his family, whom he loved dearly; and his country, that he proudly served as a Marine. With his life committed to services of one kind or another, it seemed that no one he met remained a stranger for long. Gary is preceded in death by his parents; brothers Melvin, Mike, and Dennis; and sister Colleen Kilgore. He is survived by his loving wife of 63 years, June Marie (Sunday) Cooper; daughters Alice (Mark) Coonrod and Gina (Ray) Walters; son, Gary Lee Cooper; sisters Connie Thatcher and Sally Couch; grandchildren Kyle (Samantha) Walters, Courtney (Max) Bradford, Laura (Jay) Hilander, and Joshua Coonrod; and great-grandchildren Eli and Owen Hilander, and Victor Bradford. A funeral service in Gary’s honor will be held at 12:00 Noon on Thursday, August 1, 2024, at Faith Chapel Funeral Home North, with Pastor Pat Mobley officiating. A committal service will follow at Barrancas National Cemetery at NAS Pensacola. The family will receive friends prior to the funeral service, starting at 11:00 AM. Pallbearers will be Gary Lee Cooper, Mark Coonrod, Ray Walters, Joshua Coonrod, and Kyle Walters.

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Gary E Cooper

June 14, 1941 - July 23, 2024