You might remember him as a graduate of Clover Park High School, radio personality for KMO, car and drag racing enthusiast, photojournalist for Drag News Magazine, Mortgage Banker, or a member of the Street Rodding community.

Jim was all of those things.

He was always fully engaged in his careers, hobbies, and life...

As the saying goes, his journey was not to arrive at the grave safely, in a well preserved body.  Rather, his desire was to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting "holy shit... what a ride!"

Jim was born on August 19, 1941 at Swedish Hospital in Seattle, Washington.  he was the adopted, or "chosen" son (as his mother explained to him), of Edward J. and Mary W. Cooper.  He was raised as if he had always belonged.  Jim grew up on Steilacoom Lake, attending Park Lodge grade school, Navy Base middle school, and gradating from Clover Park High School in 1960.  His sports at the time were football and wrestling and he survived Bulbar Polio at age 17.  It forever changed his focus on life.  He lived as if he were on borrowed time.

Early in high school, he developed his passion for cars, and the people involved with cars.  That passion would forever be a common theme; involving him with the sport of drag racing, being a photojournalist for Drag News, and having his own talk radio show called "Pit Pass".  He followed his father into the mortgage business in his early 20s.  that choice led him to a successful career in mortgage banking, where he held several designations to include AMP, President, Director, Lifetime Director of Puget Sound Mortgage Lenders, Director of Seattle Mortgage Bankers, and selected speaker of numerous seminars and clinics related to mortgage banking.  More importantly, many of the people he worked with throughout the years became lifelong friends.

Retirement enabled him to pursue his desire of building his First Street Rod-- supported and encouraged by his best friend, Al Swindahl.  Five years later, with the completion of his '34 Ford Coupe, he went back to work at Puget Sound Title Company.  this afforded him the ability to build a second car, a '56 Chevy Bel Air.  Both cars were award winners at numerous events up and down the west coast.  His last car, the '32 Roadster, was built just for fun.  The sport of Street Rodding allowed him to meet and enjoy a phenomenal group of people along the way.

Jim leaves behind his wife, Glenda; brother Ric; sons Jim (Fran), Mitch, Kent (Gretchen), CJ; and the memory of his son Steve who preceded him in death.