James A. Cooper

James A. Cooper, 80, passed away on Tuesday, April 21, 2026.

He was born on July 17, 1945, in Port Huron, Michigan, to the late Robert and Marion Cooper.

Jim graduated from Cros-Lex High School in 1964, growing up on the farm with his parents and his sister, Sue. He had a lifelong passion for driving and drag racing, winning many trophies alongside his friends. Shortly after graduation, he served in the United States Air Force from 1964 to 1969, including one year stationed at Phu Cat Air Base in Vietnam.

While stationed at an Air Force base in Little Rock, Arkansas, Jim met the love of his life, Linda Staffon. They married shortly before his deployment to Vietnam and shared 58 years of marriage filled with love, resilience, and devotion to one another. They traveled extensively throughout their marriage including western trips and trips to Hawaii for their honeymoon and 40th anniversary. They also enjoyed traveling throughout the country with their friends in the car group.

Jim worked for Pontiac Motors and other divisions of General Motors for 40 years. Outside of work, he cherished traveling with his family and especially treasured time spent at the family cabin-highlighted by his enthusiastic dune buggy rides in rain or shine.

He had a deep love for anything with an engine, finding joy in motorcycles, snowmobiles, and dune buggies, ensuring his children always grew up with all these toys. Jim also took great pride in building a 1935 Ford and a 1964 Dodge, projects that brought him both satisfaction and fun.

Growing up, Jim spent many summers with his Aunt Margaret, Uncle Bob and cousins in Northport and has many fond memories of his time there and still enjoyed visiting up north.

Jim valued his friendships and was always willing to lend a helping hand to others and you could often see Jim driving his side-by-side around the neighborhood and down to the beloved Farm. He spent his retirement helping his children, Brian and Teresa, with many random projects around their homes. He also found ways to wrangle his nephews, Todd and Chad, into his projects.

Jim is survived by his loving wife, Linda (Staffon) Cooper; his daughter, Teresa Cooper; his son, Brian (Kristen Patton) Cooper; and his cherished granddaughter, Emily Cooper. He is also survived by his sister, Sue (Bill) Deater; and 16 nieces and nephews, whom he adored.

He will be remembered for his adventurous spirit, dedication to family, and love of life.

A memorial visitation will be held from 2-4 p.m. on Saturday, May 9, 2026 in Pollock-Randall Funeral Home concluded by military honors under the auspices of the St. Clair County Allied Veterans Honor Guard.

Inurnment with military honors by the U.S. Air Force will be in the Great Lakes National Cemetery, Holly Michigan.

Memorial contributions may be made to Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter #1083 or Talons Out Honor Flight. To send condolences, visit pollockrandall.com