James Earl (Jim) Cooper, age 48, met his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on April 10, 2005 following complications from surgery to remove a benign brain tumor. Jim was born November 4, 1956 in Kingsville, TX, the first child of Dave & Lottie Cooper. His childhood was spent in Odessa, TX, Idaho Falls, ID, and Bartlesville, OK, as his father held various engineering positions with Phillips Petroleum Co. In 1970 the family moved to Borger, TX where Jim graduated from high school in 1975. Jim attended Texas A&M University where he served as President of Dunn Residence Hall in 1978-79. He received a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management in December 1979 and entered the management training program for Continental Pipeline Co. After rotating through several assignments with Conoco in Atlanta, Houston, and Ponca City, OK, Jim returned to Houston in 1983 and became very active in the Young Singles Fellowship at Chapelwood United Methodist Church. It was there that he met the girl of his dreams, Diane Hartmann. They were married at Chapelwood on December 28, 1985. Jim took a break from his career to obtain his MBA degree from the Univ. of Houston in 1988. He took a position with the Texas Medical Center and then with Baylor College of Medicine. Since 1997, Jim was the Director of Finance for the National Space Biomedical Research Institute, a NASA-funded research and education consortium headquartered at Baylor College of Medicine studying solutions to the health and medical challenges of long-duration space travel. Jim's Christian faith was the cornerstone of all he did. He always felt that his mission in life was to make the world a better place. He loved his work in the Texas Medical Center because he felt that it supported his life's mission. Jim was an extremely principled individual and possessed natural leadership qualities. He held many leadership positions in his church and community over the years. Notable among them were chairing the Building Committee of Sugar Land First United Methodist Church which acquired additional property for the church campus, and serving several terms as President of the Sugar Land Sharks recreational swim team. Jim also had a very positive influence on a more personal level with many of his friends and acquaintances. Jim was an avid outdoorsman. His happiest times were spent hunting deer on the Hartmann land in Hondo and working on his own farm in Hondo. More important than any of these to Jim was his family. He was a faithful and loving husband and a devoted father. He volunteered enthusiastically in his children's activities and rarely missed any of their events. Jim was preceded in death by his paternal grandparents, A.W. and Zena Belle Cooper, his maternal grandfather Lewis Pockrus and his beloved Grandma Flora Pockrus. Jim is survived by his wife of 19 years, Diane Hartmann Cooper; his son, Brian James Cooper, and his daughter, Kristin Amanda Cooper. He is also survived by his parents Earl David Cooper and Lottie Mae Pockrus Cooper of Bartlesville, OK; siblings Mark Alan Cooper and wife Annette of La Grange, TX; Timothy Paul Cooper and wife Karen of Sugar Land, TX; and Sherri Cooper Moore and husband Mark of Buffalo, TX; father- and mother-in-law Harold and Mary Ann Hartmann of Hondo TX; brother-in-law David Hartmann and wife Laura of Fort Worth, TX. Also numerous nieces and nephews and countless friends and business associates from across the nation. In death Jim continued to achieve his mission of making the world a better place as several of his organs were able to be donated through Life Gift. A funeral service will be held at 10:00 am Thursday, April 14 2005 at Sugar Land First United Methodist Church, 431 Eldridge Road, Sugar Land, TX. Private burial will take place in Hondo, TX. The family will receive visitors at St. Paul Lutheran Church Activities Center on Friday, April 15, 2005 from 3 to 5 PM. For those interested, memorial contributions may be directed to: The Caring Forever Fund of Sugar Land First United Methodist Church, 431 Eldridge Road, Sugar Land, TX 77478. In addition a college fund is being established for the children. Further information can be obtained from Settegast-Kopf Funeral Directors, 15015 Southwest Freeway, Sugar Land, TX 77478 (281) 565-5015.