One of the treasured blessings of life are the special people we meet, the relationships that develop, and the lasting influence those relationships have upon us. Raymond Cooper was one such person in my life.
Born in 1932 into a farming family, he was the twelfth of 12 children. When he was only three his father died. It was the incredible resilience, ingenuity, and hard work of his mother and siblings that enabled them to survive. Through farming they became virtually self-sufficient. In 1957, at the age of 25, Raymond founded the Universal Transformer Company in Wylie (a small town 30 miles northeast of Dallas). For 45 years it served this community until moving farther north to Farmersville in 2002.
Raymond Cooper (1932-2024)
When my wife and I, and our two young boys, moved to Wylie in 1980, it was still a very small town…just over 3000 residents; today it claims 70 thousand. In 1982, I put my freelance illustration career behind me to focus on the fine arts. I actively began promoting my new career in Wylie and the surrounding area. Raymond came to learn of me and my work and became a very enthusiastic supporter, purchasing 21 paintings and hundreds of prints over the years. He was a generous soul, not only to me but to many throughout the community and beyond. I’ll never forget the financial advice he offered which made a huge difference to our financial well-being.
Raymond served on numerous boards and committees, including the Wylie Lions Club, Chamber of Commerce, and the North Texas Municipal Water District. He was named Citizen of the Year twice in 1988 and 2003. But, what I remember him most for, and I think Wylie does as well, is that he founded and was President of the Wylie Christian Care Center. He not only donated the land for the Center but also organized volunteers to construct the building. Today, a new building of 12000 square feet is fully funded well into the future, and is run by volunteers. The mission of the Center is to provide critical assistance to local families in need…food, clothing, and utility payments. The prints of my work that I donated and others that he purchased have become a continual source of revenue for the Center.
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His contributions to Wylie have been so appreciated that a Junior High School…Cooper Junior High…was built and named in his honor.
Cooper Junior High, Wylie, Texas
It’s a big loss to me, to Wylie, and to so many others…but what a life well lived. Thank you Raymond Cooper.
