Susan Janet Cooper

Susan Janet Cooper was born in Brooklyn, New York on March 7, 1947 to Major (USAF) Warren Herman and Catherine (Byrnes) Herman. She was the eldest of three children with a younger sister, Cathy, and brother, Warren. She grew up in Freeport, New York and went to Roosevelt Junior-Senior High School where she was the school’s drum major for the marching band and selected by her schoolmates as “Miss Roosevelt” during her senior year in 1965 for the town’s Memorial Day Parade.

She attended college at the State University of New York (Oneonta) and graduated in 1969 with a BA in Childhood Education. She then moved to Lubbock, Texas and was married to Lieutenant (USAF) Thomas Davidson on July 12th of that year. One week later, they joined millions of people watching their televisions as Neil Armstrong walked on the moon.

In September 1969, the couple moved to Topeka, Kansas for her husband’s military assignment at Forbes AFB. While there, she attended Kansas University and received a Master of Arts degree in Special Education. After her husband deployed to Thailand in 1972 for a combat tour of duty in Southeast Asia, she returned to Freeport. Upon his return in 1973, the couple moved to Tallahassee, Florida for her husband’s assignment at Florida State University. While there, she gave birth to her daughter, Melissa, in 1974, and her son, Scott, in 1975. To help with the family finances, she started a children’s day care and did some substitute teaching at the local elementary schools. It was during this time, that Susan truly understood God’s love for her and accepted Jesus Christ as her Lord and Savior during a bible study led by Mrs. Beverly Armstrong. Although she lost her earthly father in a tragic military aircraft accident in Tallahassee, Florida, as a child, she gained a relationship with her Heavenly Father in the same city almost 23 years later.

In 1978, the couple moved to Shalimar, Florida for her husband’s assignment at Eglin AFB. After she and her husband divorced in 1979, she moved back to Tallahassee with her two children and was hired into the Special Education program in the Thomas County School District.

In 1980, Susan met Gary Wayne Cooper and his beautiful daughter, Kristine, at a church event in Tallahassee. After a brief courtship, they were married on April 3, 1981, at the Killearn Methodist Church in Tallahassee, Florida. The blending of the two families was complete when their daughter, Amy Elizabeth, was born on May 14, 1982. Raising four children and working full-time made life exciting and extremely fulfilling. Susan supported a myriad of Gary’s different business ventures. She was always involved in church activities, and she embraced her role as “Mom’s taxi” as the primary driver for four different children’s sporting events.

As the children left and pursued their own adventures in life, she continued to serve as a Special Education Evaluator for Thomas County Schools, completed her 6-year degree at Valdosta State University, taught ESL programs, and helped Gary build a successful DUI and Defensive Driving School. She saw all these efforts as callings to reach people for Christ outside of the four church walls.

Susan always enjoyed her different Bible study groups, Book Clubs, her YMCA classes, especially water aerobics, and visiting with her friends. She loved her family, her siblings, and cousins. She instilled a deep Christian faith in her four children that has been passed down to her 14 grandchildren echoing John’s words “I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” (3 John 1:4)

On June 15, 2026, Susan went home to Heaven after struggling with dementia and complications from a recent fall. She is survived by Gary, her loving husband for 45 years, and her children Melissa Cunningham, Scott Davidson, Kristine Cooper Zeh, Amy Bray, and 14 grandchildren. Her vivacious laugh and wonderful sense of humor will be missed. Please join our family for a Celebration of Life service at Grace United Methodist Church (inside St. Thomas Episcopal Church), at 10:00 am for visitation and 11:00 am for the ceremony with a reception at 12:00pm in one of Susan’s favorite places to dine The Plaza Restaurant at 217 S Broad St., Thomasville, GA 31792.