Paul F. Cooper

November 29, 2018

To the complete shock of friends and family, Paul F. Cooper of Hartford, CT did the unthinkable and unexpectedly passed away on November 29th. Paul was born on the Western shores of Lake Champlain, in the small town of Rouses Point, home to the infamous Fort Montgomery. He was raised in a cozy three bedroom home with his six siblings Kenneth, Reginald, Daniel, John, Patricia and Cecilia. Paul attended college at the Fashion Institute of Design in New York City, where he met and made lifelong friends with Tom and Peter, Lloyd and Jim, Nina and Rosie and of course, his dearest friend Joanne. Life turns found him in Hartford, where he met his husband, John. Their home in the historic West End was one Paul's proudest treasures. Many parties and holiday gatherings were held there, including the year Easter was celebrated with Paul's beloved Christmas tree and decorations still hanging. The get togethers at John and Paul's were legend, from the ambience to the conversation, to the "what happens here, stays here". Many a memory of their hosting are still retold with great fondness. After working at Schmid Brothers for many years, Paul was employed by notable design retailers in the Hartford area, including Brian Alden, Ethan Allen, and E.L. Wilde. In his "retirement" his private interior design consulting kept him busy. Paul had a rare gift. His ability to create rich and unique home interiors reflective of his clients' personalities was uncanny. In addition to design, Paul had many other passions including art, opera, and politics. His home was a reflection of his artistry, with themed rooms including an Egypt room. He expressed his spirituality in a myriad ways: travels to Peru and Egypt, his tireless work on the Trinity meditation garden and the way he lived each day. He touched many lives. Devastated by the 2016 election, Paul nonetheless stayed updated on current events with daily CNN and C-Span watching. Paul was happiest with his toes in the sand and his face to the sun. His love of the ocean is apparent in the prevalence of seashells throughout his home. He even incorporated his love of the ocean into his design with the beautifully painted mermaid mural at his close friend Lynda's cottage. Paul has left his daughters and their husbands, Heather and Rick Patrissi and Jenna and Tom Santangelo, to figure out what the heck to do with 10,000 Christmas ornaments, all those seashells, dozens of terra cotta planters and way too many dimmer switches for better lighting. Six devastated grandchildren- Ava, Holden, Emma, Piper, Maddy and Sadie are all worried who will wear the life size skeleton next Halloween and the twinkling Rudolph head at Christmas. In addition to his brother Reginald, Paul is predeceased by John, who he will now be joining for their nightly Jeopardy watching and a Dewars and soda (or two).Please join us on Saturday, February 9th, 2019 at Noon for a celebratory service at Trinity Episcopal Church, 120 Sigourney Street, Hartford, CT. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Trinity Episcopal Church to help maintain their beautiful gardens, which Paul worked so hard in. Or, the Connecticut Humane Society, where Paul's beloved pups over the years- Honey, Spot, Pika, and Yogi were all rescued from.