Eli Maurice Cooper saw life’s positives

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Eli Maurice Cooper, a 43- year resident of Riverdale, died after a happy life of more than 93 years on Sept. 28. A true mensch, he gave his love and optimism to those around him. Nearly everything he encountered was “the best ever,” as he chose to see his life as full of good fortune. He generously shared that good fortune with those people and causes that were near and dear to his heart. Mr. Cooper lived his life exactly the way he wanted. He never had a plan, but somehow things always worked out exactly the way he had envisioned. He was fiercely independent, confidently opinionated, full of wit and humor and accepted and supported everyone’s right to be who they are.

Mr. Cooper was born on Jan. 7, 1921 to Ida and Saul. The first in his family to be born in the United States, he was the elder brother of Doug and Jerry. As a boy, he helped his parents run their appetizing and dry cleaning shops and learned the importance of hard work. He highly valued education and graduated from the Boys High School, the City College of New York (Baruch) and New York University.  He vigorously instilled this value in his children and grandchildren.

Mr. Cooper had a knack for understanding the mechanics of businesses, and put it to use in multiple ways throughout his career. A CPA with an MBA, he held a job as an accountant, was a business auditor for the Internal Revenue Service, spent several years working as a stock broker and worked at the Manhattan District Attorney’s office doing forensic financial investigations. Mr. Cooper served on the Board of Trustees of both the Town Club and the Orton Dyslexia Society.  Throughout his retirement, he proclaimed “the trend is your friend,” and advocated investing in iconic companies with improving market performance, such as Ford, Pepsi and McDonald’s. Mr. Cooper was also known to be a bit of a gold bug.

He shared his passion for investing with his son Neal, who ultimately pursued a career in wealth management.

Always able to see the positive in things, Mr. Cooper claimed that World War II was one of the best things that ever happened to him. After joining the army, he networked his way from Cook School to a London-based post in the Office of Strategic Services, where he worked as a codebreaker. In his free time during the War, he was able to explore Europe and cultivate a love of art, museums, theater, and travel, which would last a lifetime.  He also spent his time during the war honing his entrepreneurial spirit by selling Cuban cigars and trading currency to make extra money.

After the war, Mr. Cooper returned to New York and married his first wife. Although the marriage ended in divorce, together they raised their daughter, Barbara.

In 1966, Mr. Cooper married Alice Levine and gave his life a new beginning. He always said that Alice was the love of his life.  They moved to Riverdale and raised two children: Susan and Neal. Shortly after Alice’s untimely death on Dec. 7, 1984, Mr. Cooper retired and devoted himself to caring for Susan and Neal.

Mr. Cooper was loved by many. He leaves behind his three children: Susan (Jerry Rappaport), Neal (Hyla Altneu) and Barbara (Joel Karlinsky). He will be fondly missed by his grandchildren Adam (Jennifer) Powell, Alexander, Zachary and Alyssa Rappaport and Ava Cooper. He will also be missed by his friends from Mountain Lodge Park, The Town Club, Croyden House and Boca West.

His family cannot possibly express enough gratitude, appreciation and love for his aide and friend Ana Rivera. Ana treated Mr. Cooper with love, kindness and respect.  She allowed him to live his life on his terms and made the last year of his life full of joy.

He always said, “It’s better to be lucky than smart.”  But in reality, he was both.

Eli Maurice Cooper, World War II, veterans