CHILLICOTHE: Mary Buck Cooper died Sunday, September 21, 2014 from advanced emphysema. She was born December 1, 1923.
She grew up on her family's farm near Naples Maine, spending countless hours roaming the nearby hills and woods. Here she acquired a life-long appreciation for the natural world.

Her formal education included Gould Academy in Bethel, Maine, the Portland School of Art, Oberlin College, and the Katherine Gibbs School in Boston.

A job opportunity brought her to Yellow Springs, Ohio, where she met and married Paul Cooper. She raised her family while pursuing her interest in art whenever she could find time.
She also worked as secretary and lab assistant to Dr. Elliot Valenstein at the Fels Research Institute and created an illustration for his book "Brain Control".

When both daughters had left for college in the early 1970's, Mary began a new phase of her life dedicated to a full time art career.
She chose to relocate to Chillicothe, Ohio because of its historic downtown and the far-reaching fields and rolling hills around it, which later became the subject of most of her artwork.
She opened a studio in her new home and became active in many community organizations dedicated to art, nature, hiking trails, and historic preservation.
At first her focus was on unique ceramic wall sculpture. Later she changed her media to watercolor.

Mary's artwork was displayed and sold in many local and regional galleries and won awards in juried shows, including Portsmouth, Gallipolis, and the Juror's Pick award in Lancaster, Ohio.

In addition to invitational shows her watercolors were included in the Girl Scout Women Artist's Expo, the Ohio State Fair Fine Arts Exhibit, and the Collectors Gallery of the Columbus Museum of Art. She was honored with the Cancer Society's Beaux Arts Award.
Near the end of her stay in Chillicothe she had a gala 20-year retrospective exhibit of her work, including pieces that had been purchased and loaned back to the Pump House Gallery for the show. Her friends and supporters enjoyed seeing so many examples of her rich and varied art career.

In 1998 Mary moved to a smaller home in Bristol Village (Waverly, Ohio), but retirement was not a word she took seriously. Her continued creative efforts included miniature watercolors, greeting cards, bookmarks, and twig sculptures of birds and small animals. She self-published two childrens' books. They were based on stories she'd written about her family farm and illustrated with her drawings and watercolors ("A Tale of Two Turtles" and "Cocoa").
She also wrote poetry throughout her lifetime.
In 2013 she and Len Nasman, another Bristol Village resident, produced a book called "Images", including her poems and his photographs.

One of her most beloved projects was creating the "Cooper Wildflower Woods".
With the support of the Bristol Village Administration and Horticulture Club, she and her friends transplanted countless wildflowers and trees, weeded out invasive plants, and ultimately transformed a vacant wooded lot into a natural, peaceful place for all to enjoy.

Mary was preceded in death by her daughter Wendy Schurkey.
She is survived by her daughter Scotte Kilby (husband Bil Kilby and daughter Kate); many beloved nieces and nephews, and devoted friends and caregivers.

Her family will have a private remembrance on the family land in Maine.
They believe the best way to honor Mary's memory is to support arts organizations and nature preserves including Glen Helen, Yellow Springs, Ohio.
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Published in the Chillicothe Gazette on Oct. 10, 2014