Obituary of Douglas Henry Cooper

Surrounded by the love of his family, Douglas Henry Cooper passed away peacefully on March 22nd, 2025 in Hamilton, Ontario. He was born to Harold and Martha Ellen Cooper on February 3, 1949 in Toronto, Ontario. Douglas will be deeply missed by his wife and best friend Marija, their son Anthony, brother David, sister Pam, and all their loving family.

Douglas loved to talk. He would strike up conversations with anyone. All through his life he loved being with friends and family. Douglas had an innate curiosity for life, learning and games. He studied Biology at York University in the late Sixties, where his social circle grew, forging lasting friendships with Tom, Drew, Greg, Elmet and many more. Douglas was a restless, enthusiastic spirit, travelling south through the Americas, learning Spanish, and having a wide variety of adventures. 

After returning to Toronto, he studied Culinary Arts at George Brown College, and moved to Hamilton, where he met “the lovely Marija”, who insisted he attend Teachers College. Doug thrived teaching culinary arts at General Brock High School and later Robert Batemen Secondary, both in Burlington. He loved his job, and would often state that the hardest part was the commute, and, “Can you believe they pay me for having fun?” He loved his students, and had a boundless energy for making learning fun. He also prided himself on connecting with local restaurants to get his students jobs. He loved to see them succeed.

Douglas mixed his passion for play into everything. Chess, Bridge, Poker, Blackjack, Cribbage, Rummy, Dominos, Billiards, Darts, PingPong, Golf, and Racket Balls of all sorts were continued all throughout his life, and enjoyed with anyone, especially his students at “Cooper’s Game Table” in the cafeteria. He and Marija also continued to cook together every day, treating themselves and their loved ones to their constantly evolving culinary delights. He had a great sense of wonder; forever wanting to be warm in the sunshine, hiking in nature, watching a sunset over the ocean, with the sounds of the waves to meditate to, or a splash of cava on the banks of the Niagara River, and more recently through the streets of Nerja, and always, for the last 43 years, with his Marija ‘Gambrelli’ at his side, high energy to the end.

Friends will be received for a visitation at the Donald V. Brown Funeral Home, 36 Lake Avenue Drive, Stoney Creek on Monday March 31st, from 3-7 p.m. A Celebration of his Life will be held in the Funeral Home Chapel on Tuesday, April 1st, 2025 at 11 a.m., with a Visitation beginning one hour prior to the service at 10 a.m.  In Doug’s memory, donations to a charity of your choice would be appreciated by his family. Online condolences may be sent at www.donaldvbrown.ca