Cooper Sr., Charles Richard

Charles Richard Cooper Sr., 81, passed away January 19, 2014, surrounded by his loving family. Charles was preceded in death by his parents, Robert Cooper and Jenny Stamper Cooper, of Castlewood, Va.; his brothers, Edwin Cooper, of Newport News, Va., Robert Cooper Jr., of Defiance, Ohio; sister, Marguerite Cooper Couch, of Castlewood, Va.; and son-in-law, Robert Rude, of Dallas, Texas. Left to cherish his memory, his high school sweetheart and wife of 61 years, Polly Horne Cooper; their four children, Charles Richard Cooper Jr., of Richmond, Va., Monte Leigh Cooper and wife, Sheena Cooper, of Martinsville, Va., Lisa Cooper Rude, of Dallas, Texas, and Mary Lynn Cooper Gorsline and husband, Gary B. Gorsline, of Tampa, Fla. Charles is survived by brother, Thomas Cooper, of Duluth, Ga.; along with 10 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. Charles graduated President and Valedictorian, Castlewood High School, 1950, then attended Virginia Tech. While a student at Virginia Tech, he worked full time at the Radford Arsenal, graduating with Honors and a Distinguished Military Graduate with an officer’s commission in the United States Army. He served as Surface to Air Missile Officer, Nike Guided Missile Battalion, stationed in Pittsburg, PA. Charles earned a Master of Science Degree and a Doctorate Degree from Colorado State University majoring in Animal Breeding and Genetics. Charles was an Extension Livestock specialist at Virginia Tech where he developed the Virginia Swine Performance and Testing Program. He retired Professor Emeritus in 1989. Charles was a very dedicated family man, analytic, straight- forward and honest. In his retirement, he enjoyed gardening, hunting, reading, square dancing, round and ballroom dancing, scuba diving and spending time with his family and grandchildren. He and Polly traveled extensively to all 50 states and 16 countries. A memorial service and celebration of his life will be held at a later date.