Douglas Dee Cooper, 68, was born Nov. 4, 1952 to Leslie James and Velma Elizabeth (Jaeger) Cooper and joined sister Marlyn in Akron CO. He passed away on January 17, 2021 from an unexpected, sudden illness at his home in Akron with his wife, Debi at his side.  He grew up on the family farm 7 miles west of Elba helping his dad raise hogs and dryland crops. Doug loved driving tractor and combine even as a little kid.  In 1956 the family welcomed Marcia Kay and in 1965 Diana Lynn joined the family.  Doug enjoyed Diana because she was so much younger that she could be persuaded to help terrorize Marcia.  Doug would get Marcia down and tickle her and then Diana would steal her socks and hide them. Doug attended school at Akron, graduating in 1971, and went to Denver Automotive School and graduated with a degree as a diesel tech.  He stayed with his sister, Marlyn Salley and her family while there and drove a green 1968 Camaro.   Doug, and Marlyn's two sons, Kurt and Scott, had many adventures during that time.  Doug, often times would work late and then grab some fast food before heading back to their house so as to avoid having to eat the weekly menu of liver that his sister made for everyone… After finishing school, Doug then came back home to Akron and drove truck for Frank Compton, Reverend JC Avants and Lance Varney. His call name for using the CB Radio was "Midnight Plowboy" and he ran with his childhood friend, Len Schmidt, who went by "Asphalt Cowboy".  After trucking, Doug returned back to the family farm where his parents had moved to Platner in 1973 and continued to help his dad with the hog operation and dryland farming.  Doug enjoyed cars.  Not only did he drive his Camaro, but refurbished a 1970 Chevy pickup and then drove a 1974 El Camino with a 454 engine and glass packs. While dating, Deb tells the story of her and Doug racing Deb's folks on the way to Sterling and meeting the highway patrol.  Needless to say, the race ended after they outran the patrol back home.   After Marcia graduated high school in 1974, Doug met the love of his life, Debi Florian at an alumni class reunion dance. They had many dates to the Brush Roller Rink and drive-in movies.  Soon after, Debi proposed to Doug: "Hey do you wanna get married?" and he said" IF you can cook," to which she countered, "Can you wash the dishes?"

They were married on Sept. 27, 1975. They lived in Akron and Doug continued to work for his dad at the farm and then at Ashley Ag Service, where Debi was bookkeeper and Doug drove delivery truck and the fertilizer applicator.  His love of farming was always first and foremost in his mind, and especially loved wheat harvest.  He and Deb would help his dad, Les, at harvest time.  Doug would take turns with his dad running the open cab combine and Deb would drive the truck. Son, Kyle Lynn Cooper was born on May 25, 1980.  Doug was in heaven when he could pull out the Tonka trucks and play with Kyle in the dirt.  When Kyle was 11, both he and Doug joined Dr. Fox's Taekwondo class in Brush two times a week for several years. Doug attained his Green belt and Kyle made it to Purple belt.  It was a special father-son bonding experience they both enjoyed. Together, Doug and Kyle set up a model train track layout in their basement.  Doug enjoyed trains and took many trips to train museums and depots and the family rode the Georgetown Loop.  Doug and Debi got to witness the Big Boy Steam Locomotive on its memorial run as it traveled thru Limon.  Doug, Debi and Kyle took a train trip from Ft. Morgan to Grand Junction to see the grandkids at Christmas time and grandson Levi, rode back home with them on the train.  Doug also enjoyed fishing and boating, spending many weekends at Lake McConaughy with family and friends.  Doug drove a pretty mean boat ride while pulling the kids behind the boat on the tubes and water skis.

Doug and Debi were an instrumental part in starting the AJ's Youth Center in Akron in the late 1990's and served on the board of directors for many years. They provided many hours chaperoning of the kids and planning events for the community youth of Washington County.  Doug was also a Charter member of the Akron Elks and member of the Presbyterian Church in Akron.

Doug and Debi joined a RV camping group and enjoyed their camping trailer taking several trips with it.  He also volunteered as a basic EMT for the Washington County Ambulance for nine years. He earned a life-saving award with fellow EMT's.

Doug and Debi enjoyed their Grandchildren: Levi James Cooper, born on October 27, 2009, the twins Alexandra Marie and Hayden Kyle Cooper, born on September 29, 2011 and Tommy Borrelli, born December 22, 2006.  They traveled to Montrose in October to visit Levi and attend his soccer game.  Traveling to Grand Junction to visit the twins and have a special outing, and to Boulder to watch Tommy in a Junior Roller Derby Bout.  Family time was precious and always fun at holidays and just gatherings to share a BBQ, playing cards, games, visiting and many laughs. Doug and Debi loved traveling to see family and spend time with them.

Doug was fondly remembered as giving the best bear hugs and back massage rubs.  Sometimes at family gatherings relatives would stand in line to get one as he had very strong hands and they moaned in pleasure… He loved to  wrestle, tease and tickle the grandkids, often times giving them rides on his skid loader, riding lawn mower and the 3 wheeler.  Doug and Debi enjoyed taking special outings with all the grandkids.  They were the highlight of their lives.

Doug worked several places after Les retired from farming.  He worked at Cargill in Otis and Platner and then was hired by the USDA Farm Service Agency in Akron.  He worked there for 24 years with the CRP program, and many people tell of how much they hated it when he retired.  After retirement Doug still had the itch for farming and started to work for Matt Pieper as his part-time right hand on his farming and ranching operation.  Many times Doug would drive around and check the wheat, millet and corn fields just to see how they were all doing just because he wanted to watch the crops grow that he helped drill and plant.  He got to be on the firemen's watch list when harvest rolled around after he had 2 fires during harvest with the combine he was driving.  One year he ran over a ball of wire fencing that was in a low gulley in the field hidden by the crops and it got caught in the header and caused a fire in the middle of the wheat field.  Luckily the fire dept. got there quick and it was a small loss.  The next year at harvest, a bird nest fell thru the housing, catching fire from landing on the hot motor and caused flames to drop out of combine and when he looked back, he was being chased by a fire. He again called the fire dept. to his rescue. It was a little scary for a while.  The firemen would always tease him around harvest time, saying they were on standby alert.

Doug took pride in his being able to help out his young neighbor to share his farming experiences with and working together on projects over the years. His mechanic skills came in handy and Doug's last concern was to get back home and help Matt work on the new "green" combine so it would be ready for the coming harvest.

Doug was preceded in death by his parents Les and Velma Cooper, father-in-law Bob Florian and brothers-in-law Doug Florian and Douglas Harper.  He is survived by his loving wife of 45 years, Debi Cooper, son Kyle Cooper and wife Nicole, and grandchildren Levi, Hayden, Alexandra and Tommy, sister Marlyn Salley of Cheyenne, sister Marcia Pieper and husband Jim of Akron, sister Diana Craig and husband Mark of Cope, mother-in-law Nancy Florian and sisters-in-law Sandy Harper of Akron and Audrey Baxter of Phoenix, numerous aunts, uncles, nieces and nephews, cousins and a host of friends.

A funeral service will be held Saturday, January 23, 2020 at the Washington County Event Center.  Interment will follow at the Akron Cemetery.  Donations may be made to the Washington County Ambulance or American Diabetes Foundation in memory of Doug.