John Ragle Cooper, 78 of Destin, Florida and formerly of Clay City, Illinois, passed away January 21, 2025, at his home in Destin, surrounded by his loving family.

      John was born on July 10, 1946, in Terre Haute, Indiana, the son of Arthur and Elsie (Benjamin) Cooper and raised by his grandparents, Floyd and Sopha Cooper.  John had been married to Linda Rabe and later remarried Rosalie “Rose” Fehrenbacher.

      John proudly served in the United States Army from December 1965 to April of 1967 with a tour of duty in Vietnam, earning several medals and honors. He had worked at Snap Photo Finishing in Evansville, Indiana. He was a wealth of knowledge who could recall facts from countless movies, books, and passages of the Bible, of which he was a devoted student.  He enjoyed collecting knives and guns, showcasing an excellent marksman’s eye.  He was an avid reader of Elmore Leonard’s western novels, and he enjoyed watching old western films.  He was an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump.  Above all, John was fiercely loyal to his Lord, his country, his family, and his friends.

      He is survived by his wife: Rose Cooper of Destin, Florida; 6 daughters: Terri Peters, Dawn Cooper, Deborah Cooper, and Carla Cooper, all of Evansville, Indiana, and  Julie Sadler, and Nikki McCotter of Destin, Florida; 18 grandchildren: Caleb Peters, Nathan Peters, Kaya Duckworth, Ainsley Matthews, Lundon Matthews, Moses Matthews, Rylan Peters, Bella Rose Matthews, Titus Matthews, Elias Matthews, Jay David McCotter, Kimberly Sadler, Ryan Sadler, Jessica Clark, Jordan McCotter, Kallie Keyes, Jacie Cox, and Lexton Cox; 7 great-grandchildren: Ruth Peters, Lorelie Duckworth, Jude Peters, Lucy Duckworth, Lydia Peters, Theodore Duckworth, and Daisy Rae Peters; brother: Michael Cooper; and several nieces and nephews.

      He is preceded in death by his parents and grandparents; daughter Kathy Clark; 4 brothers: Donald Jennings, Phillip Jennings, David Cooper, and Richard Cooper.

      A celebration of John’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, April 12, 2025, at the Clay City Community Center in Clay City with the presentation of Military Funeral Honors to follow.  Memorials are suggested to Clay City/Sailor Springs American Legion Post 230.

 

(The memorial gathering is hosted by the family.)