Loudon, TN – William “Bill” Edward Cooper, Jr. of Loudon, Tenn., passed away January 21, 2026, he was 78.
Born in Everett, Mass. on October 14, 1947 to the late William E. Cooper and Myrtle Murray Cooper, Bill grew up in the Glendale Square area of Everett. Bill was predeceased by his wife, Suzanne H. (Teal) Cooper.
Bill graduated from Everett High School in 1965, enlisting in the U.S. Army in September 1966, deploying to Vietnam in December 1967. Wounded in Vietnam, Bill received the Purple Heart. Upon returning stateside, Bill served as a Drill Sergeant at Fort Campbell in Fort Campbell, Kentucky. While Bill served, he married his wife, Suzanne H. (Teal) Cooper.
Following military service, Bill joined the Post Office Department – the forerunner of the United States Postal Service – in 1970.
Upon retiring in 2006, Bill moved to Springfield, N.H. where he and his wife, Earlene Vetere, built a home and beautiful vegetable garden. They raised animals including chickens, ducks, goats and horses. The enjoyed kayaking and boating on Kolelemook Lake. And found happiness and adventure in retirement, enjoying travel, skiing, and their grandchildren.
Bill is survived by his loving wife of more than 12 years, Earlene Vetere. He lives on through his children, William “Bill” E. Cooper III and his wife Alicia Porter; Jonathan Cooper and his partner Lauren DeGeorge; and Sarah Jean Hollett and her partner Mike Jones; as well as William III’s children, Benjamin, Emily, and Isabelle; Jonathan’s children, James and Olivia, and his ex-wife Nikki Cooper; and Sarah’s children, Cooper Hollett, Eliza Hollett, and Max Hollett, and her ex-husband Stephen Hollett. Bill Jr. is also survived by his second wife, Elizabeth “Betty” Cooper.
Additionally, Bill is survived by Earlene’s children Darlene, Garrett, and Christopher, as well as Darlene’s children Adriana Noblitt and John Noblitt; and Garrett’s children, Dylan, Benjamin, and Joshua. Bill Jr. was predeceased by Earlene’s daughter, Juliana.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m., Friday, March 20 at St. John Neumann Catholic Church in Faragot, Tenn.
Click here to sign the guest book or honor their memory with flowers, donations, or other heartfelt tributes