James Bracken Cooper

James B. Cooper died at age 61 on March 29 in Danbury as a result of lung disease.

Mr Cooper was born in Norwalk on November 17, 1942, and is survived by his brother David C. Cooper; wife Karen Kroyer Cooper; sons Glenn H. Cooper and Scott C. Cooper; daughter Suzanne C. Cooper; stepchildren Kirsten E. Karlan, Justen A. Annunziato, and Taegen M. Annunziato, and step-grandchild Leah Grace Karlan.

A longtime resident of Newtown, he was a 1960 graduate of Newtown High School and subsequently of Post College. He later served in the Army Signal Corps and as a volunteer firefighter with Newtown Hook and Ladder. He was also very involved in Newtown youth sports, acting as coach in both soccer and Little League.

Mr Cooper worked in the software industry for almost 30 years with several notable companies, including Burroughs Corporation, Wang, and IBM, until retirement in 2002. He was an avid skier as a Professional Ski Instructor of America, who enjoyed the outdoors including fishing, hiking, and the ocean.

In later years, Jim was active in the fight against Pulmonary Fibrosis, helping drug companies develop new treatments.

Calling hours were scheduled to be held Thursday, April 1, from 6 to 9 pm at Honan Funeral Home on Main Street in Newtown. The Funeral Service was scheduled to be held on Friday, April 2, at 11:30 am at the Honan Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made in Jim’s memory to The Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis, 1685 Branham Lane, Suite 227, San Jose CA 95118.

The Newtown Bee        April 2, 2004