Richard "Casey" Cooper, a prominent figure in the legal community and a dedicated philanthropist, passed away on November 12, 2023 at the age of 81.

A Tulsan from birth, Casey attended public schools and graduated from Edison High School in 1960. He excelled at track and was a member of the State Championship Quarter Mile Relay Team in 1959.

Casey completed his studies at the University of Tulsa for both undergraduate studies in Marketing in 1964 and graduate studies in 1967 as a recipient of the Mervin Bovaird Law School Scholarship. During his final year he was editor of the Law Review.

Following his father's commitment to military service he also joined the Navy. In July 1967 Casey was the first Oklahoma law graduate to be accepted into the Navy JAG Corps. He reported to Officer Candidate School in Newport, RI in Oct. 1967. His first duty station in Mar 1968 was on Treasure Island, San Francisco, CA.

A year later in Mar. 1969 he received a 24-month assignment on Guam, where he served on the staff of Com Nav Mariannas as Lt. Commander Cooper. After the first year he was appointed a Naval military judge.

Returning to civilian life in 1971, Casey accepted a job as an attorney in Denver, but in 1972 decided to come back to Tulsa; to family, to friends and to a familiar law firm where he had been a law school intern, Boesche, McDermott & Eskridge. He remained there first as associate, then partner, then managing partner until 2001.

During these years an interest in philanthropic leadership emerged. In 1991 Casey joined the board of the Mervin Bovaird Foundation, a Tulsa non-profit philanthropic organization, and in 1995 Casey was elected president, where he remained until his passing.

In 2001 Casey and two others founded the Cooper, McKinney, & Woosley Law Firm. After nearly ten years co-leading his own firm, Casey joined the Hall Estill Law Firm in 2010, and would later become a shareholder at Gable Gottwals in 2015, where he continued his practice until November 2023. He specialized in complex litigation, environmental law; oil and gas, corporate law and higher education law.

Throughout his life Casey always believed in the importance of the attributes of service, community, education, and the arts. To this aim Casey served on the Board of Trustees for the University of Tulsa and the TU Law School. Additionally, he served on the boards of the Philbrook Museum of Art, Tulsa Opera, Gilcrease Museum, Tulsa Arts Council Consortium, the Tulsa Philharmonic and Bacone College.

A lesser-known fact regarding Casey's heritage is that he was a tribal member of the Choctaw Nation, where his great grandfather had been the tribe's lawyer and was instrumental in negotiating tribal rights during Oklahoma statehood. In the early 2000's Casey represented the Choctaw tribe in water rights negotiations.

Beyond his interests in law and philanthropy Casey held several hobbies and passions and spent many years pursuing these with his family and friends. In his youth he was an exceptionally talented photographer and maintained a darkroom in his home for nearly 20 years. He was a world traveler and spent many summers with his family hiking through the Swiss Alps and on the beaches of the French Riviera in St. Tropez.

An avid fisherman, Casey went on an annual fly-fishing trip to Montana every fall with close friends and colleagues. Since the mid 80's the Cooper family maintained a lake home at Grand Lake where many weekends and summers were spent fishing with family and close friends.

Casey enjoyed many lake activities and loved sailing, speed boats, and pulling water skiers. Hosting and entertaining family and friends was a source of joy for Casey, especially 4th of July celebrations. His Fourth of July fireworks shows at Grand Lake were always first rate and larger than life.

Among Casey's prized possessions over the years were vintage sportscars. He has been the proud owner of a vintage MGB and Jaguar as well as a Mercedes, BMW and Ferrari. He also greatly loved his motorcycles, first a Harley Davidson, then a Titan and then a BMW.
Casey's memory lives on through his family and through the countless lives he touched through his generosity, wisdom, and unwavering spirit. His legacy as a legal mentor, community advocate and Tulsa philanthropist will continue to make an impact in the hearts of many.

He leaves behind his devoted wife of 57 years, Irene Evans Cooper, his daughter, Kimberly Cooper, grandson, Kaden Brooks, and a loving extended family, including his brother, Michael Cooper, sister, Patty Jean Morrison, six nieces and a nephew. He was preceded in death by his parents, Winston Churchill Cooper and Frances Margaret Coppinger, and son Christopher Casey Cooper, who passed away in 2016.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you consider donating to one of the following Charitable causes in Casey's honor and memory:

1) Religious Service: Casey donated regularly to assist the parish where his daughter Kimberly serves as an Acolyte at Ecclesia Gnostica - Texas, where the Gnostic Religious Services are held weekly and the traditions of the American Philosophical Research Society are continued at The Austin Gnostic Society.
For information visit: < http://www.gnosis.org/eghome.htm >

Charitable Donations can be made via Paypal to the Reverend Peter Reardon:
peter@austingnosticsociety.com peter@austingnosticsociety.com> or by mail : Reverend Peter Reardon, 709 N Mays Street, Round Rock TX, 7866

2) Education: The University of Tulsa College of Law
For information visit: < https://law.utulsa.edu/ >

Charitable Donations can be made at https://law.utulsa.edu/giving/


Fitzgerald Ivy Chapel, 918-585-1151