Shirley Jeanette Cooper - Obituary

hirley Jeanette Cooper, 90, a resident of Riva, MD, died on Tuesday, January 30, 2018, in Decatur, GA. Known as "Jeannie, Nini, and Ammie" by her family, she was born on October 31, 1927, in Bowie, MD to the late Grace Dufour Phelps Beall and John Ryon Phelps. Jean was retired from her position as an administrative assistant for the Environmental Protection Agency. She enjoyed art, needlepoint, and the Bible. In addition to her parents, Jean was preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, William A. Cooper, Sr.; son, Gerard Ryan Benfield; granddaughter, Christy Lynn Ingram; and brother, William Warren Phelps. She is survived by her daughter, Deborah Gail and her husband Eugene McDermott of Monrovia, MD; her son, William, Jr. and his wife Marian Cooper of Atlanta, GA; daughter-in-law, Kathy Honaker Benfield of Ft. Walton Beach, FL; and five grandchildren, Eugene "Sonny" Paul McDermott, Jr., William James McDermott, Spencer Oakes Cooper, Derek Manning Cooper, and Megan Ryan Hulse; and two great-grandchildren. Friends are invited to celebrate Shirley's life at the George P. Kalas Funeral Home, 2973 Solomons Island Road, Edgewater, MD on Monday, February 12, 2018, at 2:00 p.m. A private interment service will be held at Maryland Veterans Cemetery, Crownsville on Tuesday, February 13. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to The Dreaming Zebra Foundation, an organization that provides art and music supplies to underprivileged children throughout the world (http://dreamingzebra.org/index.php/get-involved/donate). Condolences may be made by accessing the link on this page.