Lillian (Zurkan) Cooper

Lillian Cooper, 95, passed away following a period of declining health on Tuesday, January 27, 2026. Lillian was born October 26, 1930 in Boston, MA, a daughter of the late John and Mary Kurtyka Zurkan.

Following her graduation from Woburn Senior High School, she worked in Boston at John Hancock Insurance. She married Richard Cooper on April 23, 1955 and together they moved to Homer where they raised their family. They later moved to Daytona Beach, FL, where they had many happy years. They moved back to the Cortland area to be closer to family.

Lillian enjoyed gardening, cooking, crabbing, photography, dancing, collecting dishes, genealogy and reading. She loved to spend time with her family and friends and later in life took up writing poetry.

Surviving are her five children, Steven J. (Nancy) Cooper of Ashville, NC; Frank R. Cooper of Cortland; Susan J. Fitzgerald of Cortland; Penny A. (Russell) Simonetta of Scott and Barbara J. Dady of Cortland; her grandchildren, Shannon Fitzgerald of Cortland; Michael Cook of Tallahassee; FL; Brandon Simonetta of Port Orange, FL; Jessica (Nicole) Scarillo-Rigg of Cortland/New Jersey; Tyler (Hannah) Simonetta of Cortland; Connor (Jessica) Simonetta of Syracuse; Anna Cooper of Ashville, NC; Sara Cooper of New York, NY; and William Dady of Cortland and Bailey Dady, of Cortland as well as two great grandchildren, Aiden Rigg and Luciana Simonetta.

In addition to her husband, Richard Cooper in 2005, she was predeceased by her twin sister, Eleanor Bush and an infant brother, John Zurkan.

Memorial services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, February 3, 2026 at the Donald L. Barber Funeral Home, 5016 U.S. Route 11, Homer, NY.

Memorial contributions in Mrs. Cooper’s name may be directed to the charity of one’s choice.

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