WILLIAM J. COOPERSMITH

EXECUTIVE - CIVIC LEADER - SPORTSMAN

William J. Coopersmith, prominent resident of Delaware County and Florida, died on February 7, 2015, at the age of 88. He was born in Philadelphia on Christmas Eve, but resided in Delaware County and Florida most of his life.

After graduating from Villanova College in 1950, he attended Georgetown Law School. The call of the world of commerce beckoned, however, and he followed his family's tradition in business. He became general manager of Great Leopard Super Markets, which included operation of one of the nation's first super markets and shopping centers. Under his leadership Leopard expanded into various operations. Shopping centers, office complexes and residential communities were developed, with operations from Pennsylvania to Florida.

As his corporate staff expanded, he was able to devote practically all of his time to civic and public service activities. He served a number of terms as a member of the Pennsylvania Navigation Commission; six years as vice-chairman of the Delaware County Prison Board and was appointed by two governors as a member of the Justice Commission of Pennsylvania. He was a member of the Unites States Justice Department Community Relations Council, the American Judicature Society and served as Chairman of several Judicial Retention campaigns in Pennsylvania.

He had a keen interest in education and was a member of the Board of Overseers of Delaware Law School and Widener College. He was a Director of the Penn State University Board in Delaware County, a member of the Neumann College Development Council and a Director of Akiba Academy in Montgomery County. He was a trustee in Bankruptcy of the United States District Court for many years. During that time he taught several classes each week as an adjunct faculty member at Widener University. Each semester he would take his students to Bankruptcy Court in Philadelphia, scheduling visits when he participated in various Court proceedings. Following the Court sessions he would host the students at a luncheon during which discussions took place concerning the cases conducted in Court. To the hundreds of Widener students in his classes the Court sessions and luncheons were a highlight of their college years.

He was a Director of the Delaware County Industrial Development Authority and a founder and President of the Business and Professional Association of Western Delaware County. In Chester he served as a Director of the Greater Chester Movement, chaired the Chester Marine Terminal Authority and served on the Boards of the Housing Development Corporation and the Model Cities Program. Nationally, he served as Vice President and Director of the RSROA, a twenty-three hundred member trade association of recreational facility operators.

Of the many activities and causes in which he was actively involved, none gave him greater pleasure than his service with the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters. He served as Vice-Chairman of the Board of Sacred Heart Medical Center for many years and Director of related Franciscan Healthcare activities, including the Chester Senior Center across from the Medical Center.

He was an active supporter and friend of President John F. Kennedy and directed his campaign in Chester and surrounding areas. He was also a supporter of President Reagan and visited the White House on several occasions. On his sixtieth birthday Mr. Coopersmith was honored at a luncheon in the Theodore Roosevelt Room in the White House, hosted by Delaware Countian Faith Whittlesey, who later became Ambassador to Switzerland. Fifty guests from Delaware County and Philadelphia attended the luncheon.

He worked for many causes in behalf of children. He donated the facility for the first children's clinic in Chester, staffed by Crozer Hospital. He donated a twenty acre park in West Goshen Township in memory of his father. The park is used for all types of children's activities and includes a large all-weather pavilion and multi-use facilities. In 1964 he took Chester's Biddy Basketball Champions to Puerto Rico on a charted Pan Am flight, touring with and cheering the youngsters in each city where they played the Island champions. In 1997, Chester Mayor Wilson presented him with a championship trophy at the Mayor's Tournament for his work in behalf of Chester's youth activities.

He was a member of the Spring Haven Golf Club and Jonathan's Landing Club in Florida for over thirty years. He enjoyed riding motorcycles and was a member of the Harley Owners Group. To celebrate his seventieth birthday he purchased a new Harley-Davidson motorcycle, touring throughout Florida. However, the ocean was his true love. During his lifetime he owned, raced and fished all types of boats - from offshore racers to serious fishing machines. His Mea Culpa , a 42-foot boat won numerous tournaments in Florida and the Bahamas. In Florida he founded the Jupiter Inlet Offshore Fishing Club to promote family fishing. The club grew to several hundred members.

Mr. Coopersmith received numerous awards and recognitions in his lifetime. Among them were the degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from Neumann University, the Themis Award of the Delaware County Bar Association and a Law Day Distinguished Service Award from the Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County.

He is survived by his wife of sixty-two years, the former Patricia McAnall, of Chester; four daughters, Wendy Dignazio (Michael), Debbie Imperia (Joseph), Kathy Coopersmith and Amy Coopersmith; eleven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. He was predeceased by his son, Jack W. Coopersmith II.

VISITATION: Thursday from 8:30 - 10:15 AM at the Nolan-Fidale Funeral Home, Ltd., 5980 Chichester Ave., Aston.

SERVICE: Thursday at 10:30 from the Nolan-Fidale Funeral Home, Ltd., Aston.

INTERMENT IS PRIVATE.

Evening Prayer Service Thursday at 7:00 P.M. to be observed at the home of Wendy and Michael Dignazio.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in his memory to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital or Taylor Hospice Residence, 300 Johnson Avenue, Ridley Park, PA 19078 would be appreciated.

CONDOLENCES: www.nolanfidale.com