Shirley Cooper 1937–2015
Catalog ID p.655 · Cite this page: njcoopers.com/p/655/
Shirley Cooper was born on 19 Jan 1937 in Palmer Twp, Northampton Co., PA, the child of Lewis Cooper and Nellie H. (Cruver) Cooper. Shirley died on 13 Feb 2015 in Easton Hospital, Easton, Northampton Co., PA and was buried at Northampton Memorial Shrine, Easton [Palmer Twp], Northampton Co., PA.
Facts
| Event | Date | Place / detail | Certainty | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| birth | 19 Jan 1937 | Palmer Twp, Northampton Co., PA | certain | J.413, D.382 |
| occupation | packer and shipper, Country Miss (retired 2002) | certain | J.413 | |
| death | 13 Feb 2015 | Easton Hospital, Easton, Northampton Co., PA | certain | J.413 |
| burial | Northampton Memorial Shrine, Easton [Palmer Twp], Northampton Co., PA | certain | J.413 |
Family
Parents
- Father Lewis Cooper 1899–1985
- Mother Nellie H. (Cruver) Cooper 1903–1994
Spouses
None recorded.
Siblings
- Carl Lewis Cooper 1928–2017
- Lois A. (Cooper) Supers 1936–2017
- Joan H. (Cooper) Focht 1941–2020
- LeRoy S Cooper 1943–2018
Children
None recorded.
Family tree
Solid lines and outlines: certain. Dashed: probable or weaker. Open the full tree (four generations)
In the documents
Every published document that names Shirley Cooper, in date order, with what that document itself records.
| Date | Document | Role | What it records |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1950-04 | D.382 federal census 1950 US Census, Forks Twp, Northampton Co. PA (ED 48-72, sheet 2) — Lewis Cooper household (dwelling 15): Lewis 51 b. NEW JERSEY (foreman, vending machine manuf… |
child as "Shirley" |
4 further documents not published (they may name living people).
Still unknown, and where we have looked
Searches recorded
ancestry all 2026-10-19 · HER 1940 CENSUS. NO NEW SEARCH WAS SPENT: this is the same question as her father's, and it was worked exhaustively on 2026-06-10 and...
Searched for: HER 1940 CENSUS. NO NEW SEARCH WAS SPENT: this is the same question as her father's, and it was worked exhaustively on 2026-06-10 and re-run blind on 2026-10-19. The full argument and the parameters are on Lewis Cooper; this row records the answer so the sweep stops flagging it as unworked.
Result: NOT FOUND, AND THE LEADING READING IS THAT THE WHOLE HOUSEHOLD WAS NEVER ENUMERATED. [D.380] is a two-person Lewis + Nellie Cooper household at Palmer Twp with no children, and its identification with her parents is OPEN - birthplace Pennsylvania against New Jersey three times, and a renter-labourer against 1930's home-owning contractor.
The 2026-06-10 sweep checked both grandmothers' households ([D.383], [D.391]), every locatable aunt and uncle ([D.384], [D.386], [D.387], [D.388], [D.389], [D.390]) and six index angles including Lois Cooper statewide in Pennsylvania (50 hits, none born ~1936 to Lewis/Nellie, none near Monroe or Northampton) - all null. The 2026-10-19 re-run added complete-county Cooper lists for Northampton and Monroe on the 1928 band - also null.
The only untried route is an ED-level image browse of the Stroud Twp / East Stroudsburg / Forks Twp callback sheets (61-A onward).
genealogybank 2026-10-04 · SIGNED IN. Pennsylvania obituaries, Shirley Cooper: (a) keyword Forks (0); (b) keyword Easton (3).
Searched for: SIGNED IN. Pennsylvania obituaries, Shirley Cooper: (a) keyword Forks (0); (b) keyword Easton (3).
Result: FOUND (b): Express-Times 16 Feb 2015 obituary 'Shirley J. Cooper' [J.413], text saved. The other two hits are Shirley R. Cooper (1933-2005, nee Freeman) - a different woman.
newspapers com 2026-10-04 · SIGNED IN. "Shirley J. Cooper" Forks, Pennsylvania, 1 May 1985 - 30 Apr 2017.
Searched for: SIGNED IN. "Shirley J. Cooper" Forks, Pennsylvania, 1 May 1985 - 30 Apr 2017.
Result: NULL.
findagrave 2026-10-04 · Shirley Cooper, b. 1937 +/- 1, d. 2015 (5 results).
Searched for: Shirley Cooper, b. 1937 +/- 1, d. 2015 (5 results).
Result: NULL: none in Pennsylvania (California, Indiana, Illinois, Georgia, Manitoba).
familysearch tree 2026-10-04 · Not run this pass.
Searched for: Not run this pass.
Result: Not run.
ancestry all 2026-10-04 · Not run this pass.
Searched for: Not run this pass.
Result: Not run.
familysearch records 2026-10-05 · Shirley Cooper, b. 1935-1939, birthplace Pennsylvania (2,243; first 100 read, filtered for Northampton/Easton/Lewis/Nellie and death records).
Searched for: Shirley Cooper, b. 1935-1939, birthplace Pennsylvania (2,243; first 100 read, filtered for Northampton/Easton/Lewis/Nellie and death records).
Result: Only the 1950 Forks Twp census row already held as [D.382]. NOT HER: Shirley V. (McAllister) Cooper, b. 14 Feb 1935 Homestead, d. 2019 Meadville (a married-in Cooper); Shirley Cooper Guard, b. 1935 Fayette Co. NULL: 1940 census - she is not in her parents' 1940 household [D.380], and the relative-household search of June 2026 ([D.383], [D.386]-[D.389]) was null; no PA death or burial record found under 'Shirley Cooper' b. c. 1937; no marriage; no land.
ancestry all 2026-10-06 · Ancestry 'U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007' (coll. 60901): Shirley Cooper, birth 1937 +/-1 (name search;...
Searched for: Ancestry 'U.S., Social Security Applications and Claims Index, 1936-2007' (coll. 60901): Shirley Cooper, birth 1937 +/-1 (name search; up to 12 candidate records opened and filtered on given name and birth year).
Result: NULL - no record matching name and birth year among the candidates.
Disproved claims
These sources link this person in a way the evidence has since disproved. The source is still transcribed as written.
- G.357: listed as deceased ("Shirley R. Freeman Cooper"); refuted.
Documents
- D.382 1950 US Census, Forks Twp, Northampton Co. PA (ED 48-72, sheet 2) — Lewis Cooper household (dwelling 15): Lewis 51 b. NEW JERSEY (foreman, vending machine manufacturing) + Nellie H. 46 + daughters Lois 14, Shirley 13, Joan 8 + son LeRoy 7. Full younger-children roster with first Shirley/Joan age attestations; re-confirms Lewis b. NJ (3rd attestation) — sharpens the D.380 1940-Palmer-couple conflict
- D.380 1940 US Federal Census — Palmer Township, Northampton Co., Pennsylvania, ED 48-111, sheet 7A, lines 4–5 (household 128): a two-person Lewis and Nellie Cooper household.