Geoffrey Guy Cooper M.D.

1956 - 2025

Geoffrey Guy Cooper, MD

December 28, 1956 - June 14, 2025

Geoffrey Guy Cooper, MD passed away early Saturday morning at his home in Tierra Verde, Florida among family after a yearlong battle with glioblastoma. He was a thoughtful, intelligent man whose clarity of purpose and untiring drive inspired those around him.

Born in Washington, DC on December 28th, 1956 and raised in Bethesda, Maryland, he grew up with a love for music, reading, and travel, instilled by his parents. He graduated high school from the International School of Rome in 1973 before attaining a Bachelors of Science at Johns Hopkins in 1977 and a Doctor of Medicine at Tulane University in 1981. He had an unwavering calling to medicine and to preserving and restoring sight. He practiced ophthalmology in Richmond, Virginia as founding partner of Eye Associates of Virginia for many years before merging his practice with Virginia Eye Institute, retiring from medicine in the summer of 2020. In addition, he was a connoisseur and collector of fine wine and founder of Cooper Vineyards in Louisa, Virginia, from 1999 until its sale in 2015.

In 2006 he met his wife Karen Cooper and instantly forged a connection. Together, they were deeply involved in Richmond community affairs, including neighborhood associations, condo boards, wine appreciation societies, and local politics. In 2020, they retired to Tierra Verde, Florida, where they put down new roots and continued their service to their circles. He dove into retirement with enthusiasm, pursuing longtime passions and exploring new ventures. In a given week, he could be found road cycling, kayaking, carving stone sculptures at his studio, working on his novel, or taking piano lessonsthat is, when he and Karen weren't away travelling the world.

Jeff (never Geoff) to his friends, he loved his family, the music of The Grateful Dead and other successor jam bands, long bike rides, and reading biographies and histories. He was a tall man who liked to carry his daughters and later his grandchildren on his shoulders, and who stood out as a landmark in a crowd. He was always ready to answer a question with detail and context, never tiring of explaining the world to his children and grandchildren. He was a true appreciator of the joy and beauty in life, and could often be heard to comment "Ah, life is good."

He is preceded in death by his parents, Paul and Gertrude Cooper. He is survived by his wife Karen Cooper; his brother Peter Cooper; his daughters, Rebecca Cooper and Lauren Hampton; his stepson Charlton Flanders and stepdaughter Rebecca Flanders; his grandchildren, Leo Wagner, Hayden Hampton, and Cooper Hampton; his former spouse, Patricia Cooper; his sons-in-law Jacob Wagner and Matt Hampton; a large, close-knit family of nieces, nephews, and cousins; and two cats, Jasper and Norton.

A celebration of life is planned at the Tampa Bay Watch at 3000 Pinellas Bayway South, Tierra Verde, FL on July 12th at o'clock. In lieu of flowers, donations are gratefully accepted to the Tampa Bay Watch (www.tampabaywatch.org/get-involved/giving/donate) or to Empath Suncoast Hospice (www.suncoasthospicefoundation.org/waystogive).