Pamela J. Cooper

Pamela Jean Cooper (née Clark), age 74, of Grafton, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully at home surrounded by family on June 3, 2024, after a long battle with Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease (CJD).

Pam was born on January 2, 1950, to Nancy Ellen Clark (née Briggs) & Delmar Ray Clark in Minneapolis, Minnesota. After Pam graduated from high school in 1968, she attended college at the University of Alabama for one year and remained a huge Alabama fan for the rest of her life. She continued her education and eventually completed two years in college.

Pam found her passion in genealogy and history and was known for her accuracy and attention to detail. She loved finding and correcting errors in the historical record. During her 30-year career as the Supervisor of the Archive Center and Genealogy Department at the Main Library in Vero Beach, many received her time and energy in helping them find their family history. Believing that the meaning of life was to give your gift away, her generosity knew no bounds. She found a path as a lecturer, author, and columnist, always sharing her knowledge and passion for research. She received many accolades during her life, but one would be hard-pressed to find what they were, as she was more than humble.

When she started her Indian River County journey in 1986, the library’s local history section had just 250 volumes. Under her guidance, by her retirement in 2016, it had grown to over 30,000 titles.

Pam loved her grandchildren and enjoyed spending time with them, always championing the value of a ‘good education.’ Pam was an avid horse racing fan and loved her horse Forbidden Kingdom, known to her as “King” and loved her cat Tigger dearly. She also loved lighthouses, having pictures, miniatures, calendars, and even a travel booklet to mark all the ones she visited.

Pam was preceded in death by her mother, Nancy Clark; father, Del Clark; husband, Dennis Hall; and husband Jim Cooper. She is survived by son Eric Hall and daughter-in-law Ana Hall; grandsons: Brandon Restrepo (Rachel) & Nathaniel Hall; brothers: Roger Clark (Linda), Jeff (Sarah) Clark, Tim Clark, and sisters Bev Ehlebracht (Gary) & Jeanne Perron (Brian). She was also loved by her late husband’s daughter, Deborah Barlett (David) and their children, Ashley and Alec Barlett.

We would like to give our heartfelt thanks to her special caregivers: Jerry Renner & Darshenay (Nay) Boswell.

There will be no service, but a Celebration of Life will be planned in the future. In lieu of flowers, please donate to the CJD Foundation. www.cjdfoundation.org