Mrs. Gloria Jean (Ventress) Cooper

Gloria Jean (Ventress) Cooper, beloved wife, sister, mother, aunt, friend and teacher died on Friday, September 9, 2022, in Houston, Texas, at the age of 76, surrounded by her children and other loved ones.

Born on March 16, 1946, in Maringouin, La., to Edith and Gilbert Ventress Sr., Gloria was the eldest of 10 children. She attended Thomas A. Levy High School and then earned a Bachelor of Science in Foods and Nutrition from Southern University in Baton Rouge, La. After college, she moved to Washington, D.C., where she met and married her husband, Burney Lawrence Cooper Jr. They later lived in Philadelphia while Burney attended graduate school and then lived in Pittsburgh until 1974 when Burney’s company relocated them to Houston, which became their home.

Gloria earned a Master of Arts from Texas Southern University in Houston in 1977 and began teaching, a career she held for 24 years. She developed lifelong friendships and taught home economics co-op, helping students at Houston ISD’s Jack Yates High School develop professional and life skills. She was known for marching up and down the Texas Medical Center to find entry-level job opportunities such as in food preparation and hospitality for her students.

Gloria and Burney had two children—Terence Cooper and Stephen Cooper—and she spent many happy occasions with them, their wives and her grandchildren, on whom she doted.

Her interests included the Red Hat Society, neighborhood walking club, gardening and education. She enjoyed genealogy research, attending genealogy conferences and delighting in finding new family members. Following the death of her husband from brain cancer, Gloria retired from teaching and began volunteering at M.D. Anderson at the information desk.

In her retirement, she was active in the American Bridge Association and played several times a week, most recently teaching the game to new players at the Judson Robinson, Jr., Community Center. She traveled the world with friends, often for bridge tournaments, across the United States, from Canada to Australia and New Zealand, and to Europe on a cruise. She enjoyed talking on the phone, especially on Sundays, to keep in touch with family and friends.

She loved and was much loved by her siblings, who gave her solace and comfort in her final days. During her life, Gloria avidly kept up with the lives of her many nieces, nephews, cousins, and their children, celebrating their personal milestones.

She was thoughtful and generous, helping individuals in need and supporting many charitable organizations. She could always be counted on to drive a friend to their cancer treatment, bring a meal when a friend or neighbor was ill, gift school supplies or buy an article from a child’s school fundraiser.

Gloria was preceded in death by her husband Burney Cooper Jr.; parents Edith and Gilbert Ventress Sr.; and siblings Gilbert Ventress Jr., Sharon Ventress Moore and Joseph Ventress.

She is survived by her sons Terence Cooper (wife Gia) and Stephen Cooper (wife Brenda); and her beloved grandchildren Max Cooper, Benjamin Cooper and Ian Cooper. She is also survived by her siblings Alice “Diane” Jones, Leora “Marie” Vance, Eric Ventress, Dorothy “Mae” LeDoux (husband Alfred), Martin Ventress, David Carl Ventress; her niece Deonchental Gilbert (husband Terrance); and numerous other much loved in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

Remembrances will be held in both Houston and Maringouin:

In Houston, a visitation will be held from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, September 15, 2022, at Carl Barnes Funeral Home, 746 W. 22nd Street, Houston, Texas. A Memorial Mass will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, September 16, 2022, at St. Monica’s Catholic Church in Houston, Texas, preceded by a rosary at 10:30 a.m.

In Maringouin, Louisiana, on Saturday, September 17, 2022, at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church, there will be a visitation at 9:30 a.m. and Mass of Christian Burial at 10:00 a.m.

The family would like to thank Fr. Eduardo Rivera, CSB, of St. Anne Catholic Community for his quick response in Gloria’s hour of need; Michelle West, her personal caregiver who became her friend: Godly Hearts Home Healthcare; and the staff of the Village of River Oaks for their kindness to and excellent care for Gloria.

In lieu of flowers, Gloria’s family invites you to donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance or a charity close to your heart in her memory.

Prayer for the Faithful Departed

Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.