Lawrence Cooper

Lawrence Cooper, 84, of Endwell, passed away Monday, April 29, 2013. He was predeceased by Edith Cooper and his parents Samuel and Lily. He is survived by his wife June Martin-Cooper; two daughters and a son in law Wendy Cooper, Connecticut and Paula Cooper-Hughes and Craig Hughes, Madison, WI; three sons and a daughter in law Frederic and Ruth Mannes-Cooper, Westport, CT; Jeffery Martin, Endwell and Gregory Martin, Charleston, SC; his grandchildren Olivia; Eliot; Violet; Meryl; Zachery; Erin and Megan; a brother and sister in law Sheldon and Charlotte Cooper, Melville, NY and Lillian Meinster of Anaheim, CAalso several nieces; nephews and cousins. Throughout his adult life, Lawrence Cooper was never without his camera. It became an extension of him, the instrument through which he catalogued the world around him. Keenly attuned to his environment and the play of light and shadow, he not only meticulously archived the rivers, parks, swamps, and farmland of the Southern Tier that he loved, but he also traveled extensively, camera always at the ready, capturing images from Egypt to England. More personally, he touched the lives of everyone he knew with intimate portraits, and what came to be known as the manila envelope that arrived in the mail with photos of friends, family, and even strangers whose likenesses he captured and later shared to the delight of all. Over fifty-eight years Lawrence exhibited his fine art black-and-white photography in over thirty-five gallery shows in the US and abroad. He also taught photography locally, mentored friends and family in the darkroom, and even published original formulas for nineteenth-century photographic printing processes. Lawrence was also an avid swimmer and table tennis player and founded the first local table tennis club, a version of which continues to flourish and of which he was a spirited member. Lawrence retired from IBM as a senior engineer after thirty-three years, most of which were spent in Owego, NY, in the Federal Systems Division. Despite the fact that he intentionally never learned how to use a computer, he not only developed technology that resulted in over ten US Patents but also brought a sense of irreverence to the labs that was appreciated by many over the years. Photographer, table tennis player, rocket scientist, inventor, our husband,father, brother, and grandfather was a true Renaissance man, whose passion, humor, intellect, and sheer love of life and appreciation of the absurd touched many lives over the years. People often remark that he had more than his fair share of coincidental connections with others throughout life. But we think that was because no matter where he was or what he was doing, he was always the first to turn to the person sitting next to him-be it on a train, at a party, or on a hiking trail-and ask, “Tell me your name. Where are you from?” Over the past days, Larry’s friends and family have gathered from every corner of his life to say good-bye. He’s been variously described as teacher, jokester, mentor, father figure, and loyal lifelong friend. But one thing was unanimous: Larry Cooper ate life. Until the end he was one of the funniest and most vital, curious, and engaged people any of us has ever known.Graveside Services will be held Wednesday 1 pm at Temple Israel cemetery, Conklin. In lieu of flowers, expressions of sympathy in his memory may be made to the charity of one’s choice.