Richard Ellis Cooper
Richard Ellis Cooper, age 83, of North Huntingdon, Pa., passed peacefully into the arms of his Lord and Savior on Monday evening, Feb. 23, 2026.
Born on March 12, 1942, in Middlefield, Ohio, Dick grew up across the street from the Methodist church in a small Amish-country community that instilled in him a lifelong reverence for faith, the natural world and honest curiosity.
Richard was preceded in death by his parents, Marion and Charlene Cooper; and his brother, Milton Cooper.
He is survived by his beloved wife of more than 60 years, Katherine “Kathy” Bekeny Cooper; their son, Jonathan (Sarah) Cooper; and grandchildren: Rachel (Josiah) Ferenczy, Hunter, Melanie and Isaac.
A gifted educator with a Ph.D. in Science Education from Michigan State University, Dick built a distinguished career shaped by the belief that good teaching could change a child’s life.
He met Kathy at Hiram College and together they pursued that conviction across the country. From Berkeley’s Lawrence Hall of Science to the Pueblo communities of New Mexico, Dick brought hands-on science to Native American children in a way that honored their culture rather than displacing it. That work ultimately carried them east to Hamilton, Mass., where he served as Science Curriculum Supervisor for the Danvers school district.
It was during those New England years that Dick and Kathy welcomed their son, Jonathan, into the family through adoption.
Later roles at General Electric and Scitex preceded their return to the Cleveland area, where they settled in North Olmsted before moving to North Huntingdon in 2013 to be near family.
Faith in God was the steady current beneath Dick’s entire life. Deepened through Koinonia and lived out in Stephen Ministry and years of Sunday school teaching, his faith was active and relational. He had a teacher’s gift for making children genuinely curious about Jesus.
Throughout his life, Dick enjoyed many hobbies including scuba diving, fly fishing, woodworking and traveling.
After a Parkinson’s diagnosis in 2009, Dick met the disease with characteristic resolve, becoming a driving force behind a local support community for patients and caregivers. As mobility and speech became more limited, those around him were still regularly treated to a brief, well-timed remark that made clear he was present, listening and smiling.
Family and friends will be received on Saturday, March 7, 2026, from 9:30-11:30 a.m., at Kepple-Graft Funeral Home 524 N. Main St., Greensburg, Pa., with a Celebration of Life service immediately following at 11:30 a.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family asks for those comfortable to donate in Dick’s honor to New Hope Presbyterian Church in North Huntingdon, Pa., (www.newhopepresbyterian.com); or the Parkinson Foundation of Western Pennsylvania (www.pfwpa.org).
For online condolences, please visit, http://www.kepplegraft.com.
