Douglas Walter Cooley

In Loving Memory of Douglas Walter Cooley

In Loving Memory

DOUGLAS WALTER COOLEY

July 23, 1945 – April 25, 2025

Douglas Walter Cooley passed away April 25, 2025, in Phoenix, Arizona. Born in Springfield, Massachusetts on July 23, 1945, to Douglas Raymond Cooley and Margery Clara (Miller) Cooley, he is survived by his beloved wife, Linda M (Sundblom) Cooley, and his beloved children, Amanda B Cooley, Eric D Cooley, and Jonathan J Cooley. He is preceded in death by his parents and his sister, Susan Clara (Cooley) (Reese) Donoghue.

Doug was a multi-faceted and multi-talented man, loving husband, and father of three children. He was a retired executive from the medical diagnostic imaging industry having lived in Massachusetts, Iowa, New York, Missouri, Connecticut, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Ohio. He was a U.S. Air Force Veteran, Mechanical Engineer, and knowledgeable Genealogist.

Raised in Springfield, Doug spent his summers in the Berkshires with his family in a rustic home built by 18th/19th century ancestors. At a young age, he taught himself to play the piano and later the organ. He competed on various school sports teams and carried the state record for rope climb in high school. As a teenager, he also competed successfully in various Square Dance team competitions coached by his father, a popular New England square dance caller, and his mother. His high school part-time job was as a Sock Hop DJ which he thoroughly enjoyed. After college graduation, he backpacked around Europe for four months.

While working and raising his three children, Doug coached their various sports activities. He also enjoyed daily bike rides, rollerblading, kayaking, snow skiing, photography, and playing on softball, soccer, and volleyball teams. Throughout his life, he enjoyed learning about computers and staying current on the latest technology and software.

His genealogy passion started over 25 years ago when he began researching his family history, identifying numerous interesting, successful, and colorful ancestors. Webmaster for a variety of web sites, including The Society of the Descendants of Robert Bartlett (aka The Bartlett Society), and the Geauga County Genealogical Society (Ohio), he had a genealogy blog, was a popular presenter at many genealogical organizations in Ohio and Arizona, and was the Genealogist for the Cooley Family Association of America.

Doug lived in Newbury with his wife, Linda, and their dog, Spirit. He enjoyed reading, bicycling, playing pickleball, ballroom dancing, genealogy research, computers, photography, hiking, and playing the piano and organ. For many years he was church organist and music director for a local church, and piano accompanist for the Geauga County Senior Chorus, Renaissance. Winter trips to Arizona were filled with his favorite activities plus hiking in the surrounding Sonoran Desert and mountains with Linda and Spirit.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to the American Cancer Society in memory of Doug who was a cancer survivor. You can donate by Mail to: American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 6704, Hagerstown MD 21741, or by Phone 1-800-227-2345, or Online at https://www.cancer.org/donate/donate-by-mail-or-phone.html

A Celebration of Life Service is being planned for early summer at Advent Lutheran Church, 7985 Munson Road, Mentor Ohio.