
Richard Allan Cooper

Grief never ends… but it changes. It's a passage, not a place to stay. Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith… it is the price of love.
Obituary
Richard Allan Cooper, a devoted husband, father, son, brother, uncle and friend, died suddenly and unexpectedly on December 29, 2024, at the age of 47. Richard lived a life filled with love, kindness, and was a rock for those around him.
Richard grew up in Bristol with his mother Lesley, and his younger siblings - Debbie, Heather, John and Emily. Richard was uncle to Jacob, Sam, Olivia, Ryan, Owen, Chloe, Matthew and Lilith. He was much loved and respected by every member of his family and loved his family dearly. Richard was always there to offer love, help and bad "dad" jokes and is missed desperately.
Richard's academic journey took him to Edinburgh where he studied Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence which led him to roles in the field, taking him first to the states for a job with Computer Associates and then back to the UK, and Bristol for his role with Vistair.
Richard was married to Ruth, with whom he shared a life and partnership. Through his marriage to Ruth, his family extended further to David, Janet, Naomi and as an Uncle to Yuvi. Together, Ruth & Richard built a home and raised Ivy, a true "daddy's girl". As a father, Richard was present for every moment big or small, and his gentle guidance and support will be missed.
We will all miss him beyond words. In this time of sorrow, may we find comfort in the beautiful memories and the legacy of love he leaves behind.
Updates
We will add more to this page in the coming days, but for now we ask that you share your memories of Richard on the Memory wall below and/or add a photo to the gallery, thank you.
31st January: A donations section has been added to the page below & information on the funeral service.
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Memory wall
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Richard was always so accommodating when we invaded the house on our trips to Bristol. He was so laid back and made us all feel at ease, even when our behaviour was questionable!
It was clear that he adored Ruth and Ivy and made them both happy.
I remember when I first saw him - huge in stature, with a face that said 'leave me alone', and I wasn't sure what to make of him. But the more we spoke, I got to realise what a top guy he really was and he quickly transitioned into someone I was proud to call a friend.
Rich was the definition of a gentle giant, someone who never took himself too seriously and always looked out for others. Rich had such a great sense of humour, his dry wit could lighten any conversation and he knew just when to use it.
I used to love playing squash again him - he was one of the reasons I started playing in the first place, but it was never really fair competition because he would wipe the floor with me every single time, he was amazing and I didn’t win a game!
My sincerest condolences to Ruth and Ivy. Rich was honestly a great man, who loved his family more than anything else.
Rest easy Mr Cooper
When we were kids, we’d spend the evenings playing Crash Bandicoot, Tekken, Fifa and Mario Kart. He always won and never bragged – I’m not sure how he had the patience to keep on playing!
He always looked out for his little sisters and, even as a university student, he was happy to have me, his 12 year old little sister come to stay with him for a week and completely spoilt me. I also stayed with him in New York on two occasions and he drove us to Niagara Falls, theme parks, ice hockey matches and again, completely looked after us! These car journeys founded my love of one of his favourite bands, Green day.
As an uncle to my kids, he was always the fun one. For example, giving Chloe chocolate as a toddler and then later playing with her and holding her upside - she vomited (I had to clean that though, thanks Rick!).
We enjoyed many theme park days and board game nights together. Sam is adamant that they are the FIFA champion, although I’m not sure that Rick would have agreed!
The thing that sticks in my mind the most is a conversation that we had many years ago, where he didn’t think that he’d ever have a family of his own. Then I had the joy of watching him form the most beautiful little family. He adored his wife Ruth and was the proudest dad to his daughter, Ivy.
He was a true male role model in every sense of the word and is always going to hold a very special place in mine and my children’s hearts.





You were a great colleague, we only worked together for 1 year but I learnt a great deal from you. From big projects to little questions, you helped me settle in to this job and grow in a short amount of time.
Your knowledge, ability to mentor and help those around you will be sorely missed.
You've left a legacy and impact on the people and the company, that won't be soon forgotten.
I hope and pray for as much peace and comfort as is possible for your family.
Rest in peace mate, God bless.






He showed us around Central Park. The photo was taken in central park poets avenue. The statue is of Rabbie Burns. He was a joy to be around. Taken too soon xx



We enjoyed many adventures together over the years, including 3 months in New York, a month in New Zealand, trips to the races, and a trip to France to watch the England Rugby team play.
One particularly fond memory, is of Rich's 30th birthday, where we did the Tongariro crossing in New Zealand, a day I will never forget.
It was always a pleasure to meet up and reminisce about the good old days living and working in Slough, and plan our next meet up. I will remember Rich as quite possibly the cleverest person I ever met, an exceptional drinking buddy, with a great sense of humour.
His humour was only surpassed by his wealth of knowledge, which he was always happy to share with anyone within the team.
He will be missed on so many levels within our little "work family", and no words will ever encompass the hole he has left on so many different levels.
Until we meet again.......
The first comes a year into our marriage, where we took a trip to the Dominican Republic to celebrate our first wedding anniversary. Richard woke up one morning with child-like excitement and couldn't wait to get the day started - a swim with Dolphins was on the agenda and he couldn't wait. We spent the morning swimming with the Dolphins and exploring the nature park. This is one example of Richard enjoying a visit to a zoo or animal park, this often featured on holiday agendas or days out, always bonus points if there were a giraffe or 2 there (Richard's favourite animal) - another top memory has to be feeding the giraffes in Christchurch zoo.,
The second came a bit later - the day Ivy was born. Richard was so happy to be become a father and once she arrived he could relax into the role, as he carried some worry with him in making sure that she arrived safely. He was immediately number 1 for Ivy - for the first few years of her life she wanted no-one else! Ever since she arrived, we made memories enjoying our time as a family, from cooking meals to taking trips, we've done it all together as our family of 3.



Service
Donate
These donations will be split between two charities:
1. The Great Western Air Ambulance Charity (https://greatwesternairambulance.com/), whose critical care team worked tirelessly to try and save Richard.
and
2. The Giraffe Conservation Foundation (https://giraffeconservation.org/), to support the conservation of this majestic species, which he loved.