Richard Green Cooley's Obituary
Richard Green Cooley died peacefully at his home in Salisbury on December 28, 2022. Dick was born on June 6, 1942 in Durham, North Carolina. His family eventually settled in Salisbury, Maryland and then Princess Anne, Maryland. Dick attended high school at St. James School and college at Randolph-Macon. After college, Dick enlisted in the Marine Corps. He honorably served his country during two tours of duty in Viet Nam where he was in the artillery and served as forward observer. Afterward he was stationed on the aircraft carrier USS Intrepid which served during the war and also as a NASA recovery vehicle. Once Dick returned home he worked in the insurance industry, principally with Northwestern Mutual Life and Afflac.
Dick was active in his community and church, St. Alban's Episcopal Church, where he was a lay reader. He enjoyed volunteering for Coastal Hospice, Junior Achievement, Big Brother and coaching youth soccer. A true Eastern Shore boy, he loved spending time on the water sailing and picking crabs.
Dick is survived by his wife, Patti Snodgrass Cooley, his stepdaughters Michelle Sleighter and Lori Kemp and her sons Jacob and Hunter von Arx. He is also survived by his sister Katherine Maher and her husband Philip, his brother Arthur Cooley and his wife Billie, and sister-in-law Peggy Cooley as well as many loving nieces and nephews. Dick was predeceased by his parents Richard Maxwell Cooley and Margaret Jamieson Cooley and brothers Robert and Andrew.
Graveside services will be held January 14, 2023, at 11:00 a.m. at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, Princess Anne, Maryland. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Dick's memory to Coastal Hospice, P.O. Box 1733, Salisbury, Maryland 21802.
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