Obituary of Curtis Ray Cooper

Dr. Curtis Ray Cooper of Tigard, OR, died June 2, 2019. Born August 23, 1935, in Springville, TN, he grew up in Chicago, and then joined the U. S. Army. He served in the Army Security Agency from 1953-1956, after which he earned a Bachelor’s Degree from University of California, Berkeley; a Master’s Degree from San Jose State University; and a Doctorate in Education from the University of San Francisco. Curt was a longtime teacher and educator, working in Sunnyvale, San Jose, San Francisco, and Stockton, CA; Kansas City, MO; and Las Vegas, NV. Over the years, he taught Spanish, Chinese, and English as a Second Language. He served as the President for the California Association of Secondary Bilingual Education and held various administration roles throughout his career and before returning to his love of teaching high school in Las Vegas, NV, where he began the first Chinese program in the state of Nevada. Preceded in death by his parents Jesse and Anna Mae Cooper. Curt is survived by his wife of 64 years, Patricia Ann Mills Cooper; his sons Curtis L. and Roxie Cooper; Charles D. Cooper and Dr. Judith Iglarsh; and his daughter Cynthia and Steve Baughman; and his beloved grandchildren Zachary Cooper, Alexander Cooper, Glenn Ray Baughman, and Alison Baughman; his brother James T. and Lyn Cooper; his sister Roeanne Orloff; his brother- and sister-in-law Dr. Nicholas and Dorothy Cummings. Curt also has many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends that he cherished so dearly. A small family memorial will be held in Tigard, OR, on Wednesday, June 5, 2019, at 2:00 PM, at Bonaventure of Tigard (2nd floor theater) with later interment in Pacific Grove, CA. In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the American Cancer Society (https://www.cancer.org) in memory of Dr. Curtis R. Cooper.