Lawrence Cooper

Lawrence Richard Sudeik Cooper passed away unexpectedly Sunday, August 14, 2022 at home in La Habra Heights, Los Angeles County, California. He was born February 9, 1949 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania as Lawrence Richard Sudeik. He was the son of Elizabeth Myers Whisler who was born in Elizabethtown, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania and died in Reno, Nevada and Harry Richard Sudeik who was born and died in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Larry’s parents were divorced when he was four years old. Larry is survived by his older sister Penny Gibson who lives in Texas, and his younger sister Eileen Cooper who lives in Nevada. Larry and Eileen took their stepfather’s last name of Cooper while they were growing up. With Earle Cooper (in the oil drilling business) as stepdad, Larry and his family lived in many places around the world. During second grade Larry lived in Maracaibo, Venezuela where he learned to speak Castilian Spanish and joined the Boy Scouts (he still has his uniform). Later they lived in Bakersfield, California, and they often visited their Granddad Arthur Cooper in Paso Robles, California. His Grandad had a 400 acre ranch and raised Black Angus Cattle. There Larry learned to fix sprinklers, drive farm equipment, ride horses and shoot rifles. In Huntington Beach Larry went to Marina High School where he learned to run long distances, and he ran a four minute mile at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville. They lived in Soldatna, Alaska a couple of times where he graduated from Kenai Central High School. He spent his first two summers of college working on an offshore drilling rig in the Cook Inlet, Alaska. In 1969 Larry enlisted in the U.S. Army as a basic recruit in Little Rock, Arkansas. He earned excellent scores in marksmanship and physical agility tests. He was a Chaplain’s Assistant in Viet Nam assigned to the First Infantry (The Big Red One). His job was to set up church services and protect the Catholic Priest Chaplain in the jungle. Larry worked for Continental Airlines at LAX for twelve years as a cargo agent and a cargo supervisor. He worked for five years at Superior Label in Buena Park. And he finished his career as a safety rep and Loss Control/Audit Manager at State Compensation Insurance Fund (a workers compensation insurance carrier) where he worked for almost 25 years in Santa Ana, California. Larry is also survived by his wife of 41 years Janey Cooper (La Habra Heights, California), and his daughter Rebecca, son-in-law Dane, and granddaughter Ava (Orange County, California). The most important things to Larry were his family and his work. He loved sailing, camping and taking drives. And his favorite restaurant was “The Five Crowns” in Corona Del Mar, California, where he took his wife on every single anniversary. He surprised his wife with a trip to Ireland upon their retirement. And the following year they drove to Alaska in their new Tiffin Motorhome. Then the last five years of his life, he got to enjoy his little granddaughter Ava, building her a playhouse, taking her for milkshakes, riding teeter totters at the park, and playing with her building castles and towers out of the wooden blocks he made for her. He loved being “Pop” to Ava. Larry’s Memorial Service was held Sunday, August 28, 2022 at 10:00 AM at the Williamsburg Chapel in Memory Garden Memorial Park in Brea, followed by visiting at his house in La Habra Heights for friends, neighbors and relatives. He has been cremated and his ashes will be scattered at sea off the coast of Newport Beach, California (near Via Lido).

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Lawrence Cooper

February 9, 1949 - August 14, 2022