KATHLEEN G. COOPER

Kathleen "Kathy" G. Cooper, 70, of Chevy Chase, MD, died on March 6, 2021 after a long illness. She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Bill, in 2016. Kathy left Kenosha, Wisconsin, where she was born and raised, in 1968, to attend college at The George Washington University. She remained a Washingtonian all of her life. She achieved her long-held dream of working for the government, first by working for Rep. Les Aspin in the 1970's and then later at the Pentagon when he became President Clinton's Secretary of Defense. Her ultimate job came in the second year of President Clinton's first term when she followed her longtime friend and mentor, Morton Halperin, to the President's National Security Council. She remained there throughout the Clinton Administration. In between she worked with Mr. Halperin at the Center for National Security Studies, became a travel agent, and then served as a personal assistant to a blind businessman. After the NSC she assisted administratively in the founding of the Center for American Progress. In the early 1980's she was diagnosed with Muscular Dystrophy which progressed gradually over the years but finally forced her to retire from the Center for American Progress in 2006. In spite of the progression of her disease, she continued to be active in many things. She served on her condominium board for many years, was elected to the Friendship Heights Village Council in 2015, and, with her husband until his death, was a regular volunteer at Knollwood, a military retirement facility. She was also an active member of Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church. Kathy and Bill were longtime subscribers to the National Symphony and the Round House Theatre. They also both enjoyed movies, dance, reading, relaxing by their swimming pool, and getting together with their many, many friends. Kathy loved to cook and entertain for their friends, even into her retirement years. A celebration of her life will held on April 10, 2021 at 2 p.m. by Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Church via a live stream video link:(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EmDO2wqJY_A). In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in her honor to Doctors Without Borders or to A Wider Circle in Bethesda.In lieu of flowers contributions may be made in her honor to Doctors Without Borders or to A Wider Circle in Bethesda.