Frederick William Cooper II

Frederick (Fred) W Cooper II was born in Alameda, CA into a military family. His parents were

Burton Frederick Cooper and Margaret Bernice McMichael. His older sister Leslie Brixey and

younger brother John Arthur Cooper preceded him into his next life. He was their protector and

loved them dearly.

Fred grew up living in several places as military families do. As a young child he lived in

Okinawa, Japan and went to school there. He then lived in El Centro, CA. This is where he

found his love for the desert. He liked to get out and explore with his small group of friends.

The family was again transferred to Lemoore, CA. He attended Lemoore High School.

Fred was a talented musician and was first trumpet in the high school marching band. He was

also an accomplished athlete. His skills as a diver on the swim team led him to medal in the

Valley Championship.

Fred was a bit of a rebel with a strong personality who had a tendency to get in a bit of

mischief now and then. Let’s just say the local police knew him by name.

At seventeen, Fred joined the United States Marine Corps in 1966 with his best friend Marty

Knox. He often said he beat the draft for two and joined for four. He was stationed at Camp

Pendleton then Camp Lejeune before being sent to DaNang Vietnam. He was stationed at

Dong Ha when the ammo dump was attacked and exploded. He was also involved in the Tet

Offensive. Both operations he was concussed and had shrapnel injuries. He was involved in

eight different operations while there. He became quite ill with malaria and was sent home. He

left Vietnam but Vietnam and its nightmares never left him.

Fred eventually attended College of the Sequoias in Visalia, CA where he earned his degree.

Fred also worked in the retail industry. He was a manager at Woolworths downtown Fresno and

in the Fresno Fashion Fair In time, he also attended a trade school to become an accomplished

welder. He used those skills at Valco and Gregor Boats where he built aluminum boats. He

worked as a mechanic servicing cotton module retrievers from the Central Valley to Texas. He

was able to open his own shop, San Joaquin Ag, where he actually fabricated and built cotton

module retrievers and large trailers. During cotton picking season he worked 24/7 as a

mechanic maintaining and repairing the retriever trucks all over the valley. It was hard tiring.

work in extremely cold conditions, often working on the cold wet ground doing repairs needed

to keep the vehicles going. But this was one of Fred’s admirable qualities. He was always a

hard worker.

Fred was finally able to get a job with the City of Fresno as a bus driver for Fresno Transit. He

worked his way up to become the Maintenance Supervisor for FAX until his retirement. He fit

right in with his fellow mechanics and grew a small circle of friends.

Fred absolutely loved his children Kimberly and Jon even if he had difficulty expressing it. But

he would do anything he was able to help them without hesitation. He was always there when

he was needed. He also welcomed into his heart his stepson Jason and stepdaughter Sarah.

He considered them all brothers and sisters equally and had a relationship unique to each one.

Fred was truly a rock to us all.

Fred love camping, fishing, gardening and golfing. There was alway a garden wherever he

lived. He was always outdoors. Never one to just sit, always busy. Every camping or fishing trip

there was always some adventure or more aptly, misadventure involved without fail. Vehicle

breakdowns, boat breakdowns, near sinkings, and even an earthquake was the unplanned part

of each new trip. But through all the chaos and mishaps we never had a doubt that Fred would

fix it and get us home safely. And he always did. There were wonderful memories and stories to

laugh about for our lifetime.

Fred loved to golf and eventually drew in his wife, Denise to join him as his golfing partner.

They both joined the Mexican American Golf Association where lifetime friendships grew. He

was a member of Tuesday Senior Golf at Madera Municipal Golf Course where a couple of the

guys called him Kid. No matter the weather, if he could golf, he was out on the course, often

cursing the rain and wind and loving every minute of it.

Fred was a talented mechanic. He once bought a motorcycle where the parts were in two five

gallon buckets and he completely rebuilt it. Fred and his wife Denise took many fun trips on

that bike. He eventually got his dream bike, a Harley Davidson. They took long trips with family

and friends and it broke his heart when his bad hip forced him to sell it. He was always the first to run to fix the cars of all the kids. Whether it was major repairs or just an oil change, they could always count on him.

He attended the Fresno Vet Center where he found camaraderie with his fellow veterans. He

was very proud to help hold the giant American Flag at a Veterans Day Parade one year.

Through years of appeals, he was finally able to attain the status of100% disabled which he

deserved.

His heart and soul were filled with his love for his wife of 35 years Denise S Cooper, daughter

Kimberly R Zimmer her husband Mark and granddaughter Kaia, son Jon M Cooper his wife

Andrea and grandchildren Aidan, Ashton and Ava, his son Jason E Collins his wife Cassandra

and granddaughter Kendall, daughter Sarah C Melton her husband Cody and grandchildren

Jackson, Amelia and Andrew.

Fred was a hardworking, hard-living, man’s man. He was at his happy genuine self around his

grandchildren who were able to soften his rough exterior and bring simple joy into his heart.

Fred’s love for his wife, his children and his grandchildren defined him completely and on

whom he absolutely doted.

A memorial service will occur Saturday, August 12, 2023 from 10:30 AM to 11:30 AM at Stephens and Bean Funeral Chapel, 202 North Teilman, Fresno, CA 93706. A dedication service for Frederick will be held Saturday, August 12, 2023 from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM at Fresno Memorial Gardens, 175 South Cornelia Ave, Fresno, CA 93706. A reception will occur Saturday, August 12, 2023 from 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM at 1192 W. San Jose, Ave, Fresno, CA 93711.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.stephensandbean.com for the Cooper family.