Horace Edward Cooper

Horace Edward Cooper, 86, of Claysville, died Sunday, October 29, 2006, in the Presbyterian Medical Center, following a short illness. He was born on May 29, 1920, in Cabot, Pennsylvania, a son of Edward and Anna Wilkewitz Cooper. He was a member of the St. Luke’s Lutheran Church in Saxonburg. Mr. Cooper was a 1939 graduate of Winfield High School, Cabot. He was a World War II Veteran having served with the 8th Air Force in England and obtaining the rank of Technical Sergeant. Also, he was awarded a special commendation in communication for the wartime work he had done. Mr. Cooper had attended the Capital Radio Institute in Washington, D.C. in 1943. Additionally, he was known throughout the world as an Amateur Radio Operator with the call sign W3UVG. He was a member of many organizations including : American Association of Retired Persons. American Legion Post # 945, Air Force Flyers Club, 8th Air Force Historical Society, 482nd Bomb Group Association, Pittsburgh Antique Radio Society, Antique Wireless Association, Monongalia Wireless Association, Triple States Radio Amateur Radio Club, 10-10 International Radio Network, Short-Wave League, National Geographic Society, Founding Member of the American Air Museum in Britain, Founding Member of the 8th Air Force Heritage Center in Savannah, Georgia. He held a First Class Commercial Radiotelephone License from the Federal Communications Commission since 1941 and had done engineering work for radio and television broadcast stations in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Illinois, and New York. From 1952 through his retirement in 1980, he was Television Transmission Engineer with KDKA-TV of the Westinghouse Broadcasting Company in Pittsburgh. He had been in the Washington, PA area since 1946 and was a past member of the Washington Engineering Society, having also served as the Chief Engineer for radio station WJPA. Mr. Cooper is the last surviving member of his immediate family. Several cousins as well as his best friend and caregiver, David Rogers survive. His brother, Henry D. Cooper is deceased. Friends of Horace Edward Cooper, 86, of Claysville, who died Sunday, October 29, 2006, in the Presbyterian Medical Center, will be received on Tuesday from 7 to 9 PM in the William G. Neal Funeral Homes, Ltd., 925 Allison Avenue, Washington. Additional viewing will be held in the Fox Funeral Home, Inc., 140 West Main Street, Saxonburg, on Wednesday, from 6 to 8 PM. Services will be held on Thursday, November 2, 2006, at 2:00 PM, in the St. Luke’s Lutheran Church, Saxonburg, PA. Burial will follow in Hannahstown Cemetery, Cabot. Additional information and guest book available online at www.NealFuneralHome.com