Hal Dean Cooper's Obituary
Hal Dean Cooper of Rocky River, Ohio passed away peacefully February 25,
2025 at his home. Hal was born during a blizzard on a farm in Liscomb
Township, Iowa, on December 8, 1934. He was the son of Truman and Goldie
(nee Chadwick) Cooper.
He graduated from the rural Conrad, Iowa school system (Class of
1952) and Iowa State University in 1957 with a degree in Mechanical
Engineering, then served two years as a draftee in the U.S. Army Corps of
Engineers, 1957-59. After his discharge, he entered the George
Washington University Law School in Washington, D.C., completing his law
degree in 1962.
In 1960, he married Constance Bellinger Simms in Washington, D.C.; she
was the daughter of Perry and Constance (née Hanlein) Simms of D.C.
Equipped with his law degree and Connie with her nursing degree, along
with a baby daughter, the young couple moved to Ohio and lived for many
years in the Cleveland suburb of Lakewood. There, they completed their
family with Shannon (Craig) Strachan, Charles Chadwick “Chad” (Amy Brill)
Cooper, and Ellen (Matthew) Ospelt. They also raised a foster child, Henry
Peak, for seven years. They have eight grandchildren: Cooper, Caroline
(Collin Lefelhoc) and Daniel (Halle Krebs) Strachan; Samuel and Sarah
Cooper; Truman, Grace, and Grant Ospelt; and one great-granddaughter,
Lorelai Molly Lefelhoc.
Hal practiced law in Cleveland for ten years before being appointed as a
Trial Judge at the U.S. Court of Claims in Washington, D.C. After several
years at the Court, he resigned and returned with his family to Cleveland,
where he joined the international law firm Jones Day. He founded the
Intellectual Property Law practice at that firm, representing major
corporations, including Ford Motor Company, Texas Instruments, Lubrizol
Corp., Firestone Corp., Glidden Corp., and Eastman Chemical in
nationwide intellectual property litigation. Upon his retirement from Jones
Day at age 64, he and Connie moved to their farm in Austinburg, Ashtabula
County, where he raised cattle and cultivated hay, corn, and soybeans. In
2018, at the age of 83, Hal retired from farming, but he and Connie chose
to continue living on the farm. They enjoyed traveling and actively
participating in the social life of the county.
Hal was preceded in death by his wife of 60 years, Connie, in 2021; his
parents; his sister Betty Jo (Dooley) and her husband Jerry Dooley; and his
brother Leslie Truman Cooper. He is survived by his children, their
spouses, and their children; his sister-in-law Sharon (Baynham) Cooper;
and several nieces, nephews, and cousins.
Memorial services will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 8, 2025, at
Bogner Family Funeral Home, 36625 Center Ridge Road, North Ridgeville,
OH 44039. (Services will be Livestreamed on Bogner Family Funeral Home Facebook page.)
Beginning at 11:30 a.m., the family will welcome guests before
the service. A dessert reception will follow at the Bogner Life Celebration
Center next door to funeral home.
If desired, memorial contributions may be sent to Messiah Lutheran
Church, 615 West Prospect Avenue, Ashtabula, OH 44104, or condolences
may be sent to Hal’s eldest child, Shannon Strachan, 916 East Drive,
Huron, OH 44839.
To watch livestream of the service from Bogner Family Funeral Home's Facebook Page, click link below.
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100045573466623
For further information or to send an online condolence, please visit www.bognerfamilyfuneralhome.com
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