Samuel Raymond Cooper

Samuel Raymond Cooper, age 79, of Anderson, IN, passed on peacefully at home, on July 21, 2023.

Born January 10, 1944, in Muncie, IN, Sam spent his childhood in Gaston, IN, graduating from Harrison High School in 1962. After graduation, Sam served proudly in the United States Army. It was while stationed in Seoul, South Korea that he met and married the love of his life, Yong Suk Kim.

Returning with his wife to the US in 1967, Sam worked several years for Westinghouse before pursuing a Bachelors Degree in Business Administration and Computer Science from Ball State University. Upon graduation in 1980, he began his 30+ year career as an Information Technology Specialist for DFAS at Fort Benjamin Harrison in Indianapolis, IN. Over the years, Sam also enjoyed teaching computer classes part-time at Ivy Tech Anderson and Muncie campuses. Retiring from DFAS in 2015, Sam enjoyed spending more time with his friends and family, and his greatest joy in life was being Pawpaw to his granddaughters.

Sam was an avid sports enthusiast with a great passion for officiating youth sports. He spent over 20 years as a baseball umpire and a basketball-volleyball-kickball referee, umpiring a baseball tournament as recently as the Spring of 2023. He believed that good sportsmanship and having fun were the most important elements of playing sports. Sam applied those same values to his life. He loved to laugh and to share the laughter and lightheartedness with others. He loved people and never knew a stranger. He was known to be a prankster and the king of Dad Jokes and was happiest when making others smile.

He is preceded in death by his parents, Samuel H. Cooper and Thelma J. Cooper; his wife of 52 years, Yong Suk (Kim) Cooper; brother, Ronald Cooper; half-brother, John Cooper; and half-sister, Euretta Rowles.

Sam is survived by his son, Andrew Cooper of Anderson, IN; daughter, Marie Terrell of Indianapolis, IN; granddaughters, Alexa Terrell of Indianapolis, IN, Brenna Terrell of Indianapolis, IN; brother, David Cooper (Karen) of Orlando, FL; sisters, Mary Stephenson (Mike) of Anderson, IN, Elizabeth Voland (George) of Muncie, IN, and Ruth Kiger (Jeff) of Yorktown, IN; sister-in-law, Paula Cooper of Shelbyville, IN; brother-in-law, Doo Young Kim of Seattle, WA; sister-in-law, Yoon Suk Kim of Everett, WA; sister-in-law, Shin Sook An of Lynnwood, WA; sister-in-law, Chang Sook Bizjak of Indianapolis, IN; as well as many nieces and nephews, extended family, good friends, and his adoring canine companions, Sammy and Niko.

Visitation will be Saturday, July 29, 2023, from 11am to 12pm at Legacy Cremation & Funeral Services, 504 W. Ninth Street, Anderson, IN, with funeral service beginning at 12pm.