John Arthur Cooper, Jr., of Lancaster passed away on December 11, 2017 in his home with his loving wife, Barbara (Bowen) Cooper by his side.

The son of Rose (Pellkofer) and John Arthur Cooper, he was born on February 24, 1944 in Clarksburg, West Virginia and grew up in Zelienople, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Slippery Rock University and taught 9th grade Science in the Manheim Township School District for 31 years.

John was a true craftsman and could almost always be found fixing cars or handcrafting a wood-working project. Whatever he did, he did to perfection and his care to detail was impeccable. What he held dear to him he protected with all his heart. John was an amazing tinkerer and could figure out almost any problem with a determination and focus of no other. He had strengths in science, math and mechanical engineering. He loved sharing his successes of fixing this or that and made many beautiful handcrafted furniture pieces for his family including a full set of cherry kitchen cabinets, a sunroom addition to his home and a beautiful rocking chair for his grandchildren. He was an avid car nut, loved drag racing, watching sci-fi movies, taking cruises with his wife, spending time with family, and playing Pinochle with friends.

In addition to his wife Barbara, he is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Lisa and Zachary Scoma; two grandchildren, Luke and Sage Scoma; his brother and sister-in-law, James and Diane Cooper; nieces, Jennifer (Cooper) Wilson, Stephanie (Cooper) Caldwell, and a dear family friend, Autumn Colby.

Visitation and a memorial service will be held on Sunday, December 17, 2017 at St. Peter's Lutheran Church, 10 Delp Road, Lancaster PA. Visitation will be held at 2:00 p.m. and a memorial service starting at 3:00 p.m. Immediately following the service will be a dessert reception to celebrate John's life as he always loved dessert.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to the Penn Medicine Abramson Cancer Center and St. Peter's Lutheran Church.