John Cooper Bailey, age 54, passed away July 22, 2024, in Plano, Texas.  He was born on March 12, 1970, in Houston, Texas, to his parents John Alexander Bailey and Mary Katherine (Williamson) Bailey, both of whom preceded him in death.

Growing up, Cooper spent time every summer with his grandparents and great-grandparents in Mt. Sterling, Kentucky.  He was most often found with his Papaw Arnie, either fishing or in his basement shop, learning wood working and telling stories. Cooper attended high school in Arden, North Carolina.  After graduating high school, he went on to earn his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University (LSU).

Cooper loved New Orleans and worked in the restaurant industry with restaurants in the French Quarter until Hurricane Katrina forced his relocation closer to his family in Texas.  He had a fun sense of humor and would entertain his sisters, nieces and nephew with music and TV trivia, complete with funny voices and singing.  Cooper was a “jack-of-all-trades” handyman and avid sports fan, especially SEC football and any form of auto racing.  He also had an ear for music and played the bass guitar.

Cooper is survived by his sisters, Tracy Bailey Brightman, of McKinney, Texas, and Wendy Bailey, of Coppell, Texas; step-mother, Donna Bailey, of Santa Fe, New Mexico; nieces and nephew, Ashton Bailey, Emily Brightman, and Jack Brightman; aunts and uncles Jeanette and Raymond Donaldson, of Mt. Sterling, Kentucky, and Mary and Pat Prokop, of Savannah, Georgia; and a host of family members and friends, who will miss him, cherish his memory, and over time come to laugh more often than cry when they think of and remember Uncle Cooper.