James Julian “Jimmy” Cooper, who as mayor of Roxton for the past 10 years became the community’s biggest cheerleader and one of its most loved citizens, died at his home Wednesday, June 19, after a brief illness. He was 70.
Roxton Mayor James “Jimmy” Cooper
He and his wife of 50 years, Shirley, lived at 303 Pecan St. in Roxton.
The family will receive friends at Fry & Gibbs Funeral Home in Paris on Friday, June 21, from 6 to 8 p.m. The funeral service will be at 11 a.m. Saturday, June 22, at Roxton United Methodist Church, with burial to follow at Restland Cemetery in Roxton.
Pallbearers will be James Lloyd Moore, Jackie Mullenix, Phillip Moore, John “Butch” Perry, Phillip Rutherford, Terrell Perry, Ralph “Sonny” Smith, Kenneth Bush, Ross Frazier, Mark Armstrong and Larry Huckeba.
Besides his wife, Cooper is survived by a daughter, Tami Fee, and her husband, Dan; a son, Chris James Cooper, and his wife, Melissa; grandchildren Cash James Cooper, Hannah Nicole Cooper, Jack Cooper Fee, and Lily Grace Fee; a brother, Doug Cooper, and his wife, Penny; a nephew, C. D. Cooper; a niece, Cari Coble, and her husband, Mike; an aunt, Pat Julian Harris; and many great-nieces, great-nephews and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Lucille Julian Cooper; his father, Clovis Cooper; and his stepmother, Dorothy Maxwell Cooper.
Cooper was born in Paris on April 9, 1943, and he lived and attended school in Roxton, graduating in 1961 as valedictorian.
He received his B.S. degree in 1965 from Texas A&M University-Commerce, formerly East Texas State University, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity.
In 1964, he married Shirley Kent, whom he met in college, and upon graduating they eagerly moved to “the big city” of Dallas, where he began a 35-year teaching and coaching career.
At that time, the Dallas Independent School District did not allow husband and wife to teach at the same school, so he taught and coached at several Dallas schools and she got a teaching job in suburban DeSoto.
He taught and coached at Harry C. Withers Elementary, Atwell Academy, Hulcy Junior High and Dallas Adamson High School.
In 1975, while still coaching in Dallas, Jimmy and Shirley moved to DeSoto, and both were active in school and city events and were members of the First United Methodist Church of DeSoto.
In 1987, he became head basketball coach at DeSoto High School, a position he kept until 1998. He was a 30-year member of the Texas High School Coaches Association.
Upon retirement in 2000, they moved back to Roxton, where his heart had remained throughout the years. Although Cooper was away for many years, it was clear to anyone who knew him that Roxton was always in his heart. His best and lifelong friends were those with Roxton roots.
Cooper immediately immersed himself in city activities, serving on the Roxton City Council as a city councilman from 2001 to 2003, and then as mayor from 2003 to the present.
Roxton had an aging water and sewer system, and as mayor he fought for grants and low-interest loans to begin rebuilding the infrastructure. Even though it carried no pay, Cooper made being mayor of Roxton a full-time job.
Cooper could be found most days checking in at City Hall, driving the streets of Roxton, checking on his town, or attending a meeting. His job sometimes required him to make two-day trips to Austin in search of grants or other assistance for his community.
He was a member of the Ark-Tex Council of Governments executive board, the Northeast Texas Rails to Trails Board, the Chaparral Rails to Trails Board, the Lamar County Chamber of Commerce, the Lamar County Historical Commission and the Roxton Chaparral Museum board, and he was a member of the team that created the Roxton City Drug Store Museum.
He and Shirley were members of the Roxton United Methodist Church, the church Jimmy grew up in. At the time of his death, he was serving as a trustee.
As could be expected of a coach, Cooper was an avid sports fan, especially where Roxton’s teams were concerned.
He especially enjoyed Roxton’s past three seasons, when the Lions boys basketball team made three straight trips to the state high school tournament in Austin.
After falling one game short of getting to the championship game in 2011 and 2012, Roxton won the Class 1A-Division II boys state championship in March.
The Roxton Independent School District recently named him a “Hometown Hero” – an honor most fitting since he was widely regarded as the school’s biggest fan.
In lieu of flowers the family requests donations be made to the Roxton City Drug Store Museum or to the Roxton Chaparral Museum, Roxton, TX, 75477.