Obituary: Sara Erina Katherine Cooper

Sara Cooper passed away peacefully in her home in Titusville, New Jersey, on June 21, 2021, from complications associated with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS).

Sara waged a courageous fight against ALS for over five years with the same determination and commitment she brought to everything she did. Sara did not allow ALS to define her or prevent her from continuing to live her life as fully and meaningfully as possible. From the time she was diagnosed, raising awareness about this disease, for which there is no cure, was her passion and helping others with this disease, her mission. Sara educated others about ALS through her countless interviews, her exposure in magazines, newspapers and podcasts and through social media. And as a champion and advocate for those new to the ALS fight, with her own experience in mind, she created the ROADMAP, a vehicle to provide those newly diagnosed with the information needed to navigate this unforgiving disease. She was relentless in her desire to make a difference, and she did.

Sara was a graduate of the Princeton Day School and Boston University, School of Management. After ten successful years in banking, Sara completed training at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts. She turned her passion for cooking and her natural ability to engage with people into Four Girls, a successful catering business she started with three equally enterprising women. Sara was recruited to manage the customer accounts and new business development with Princeton’s Town Topics and this experience gave her exposure to all aspects of marketing and the ability to secure director-level positions at The College of New Jersey, Princeton Magazine and Moxie Woman. For three years Sara was also Director of Corporate Communications for Metaphore Pharmaceuticals Inc., Ft. Lee, NJ. But it was with Cooper Creative Group, launched in 2016, that gave Sara the greatest personal and professional satisfaction. There, along with the diverse talents of the women she assembled, she was able to combine her marketing experience with her entrepreneurial spirit, helping local businesses realize their full potential. She continued to enthusiastically serve her clients through her illness.

Sara served on the boards of Christine’s Hope for Kids and Hope Loves Company, an organization providing emotional support for children and young adults living with parents suffering from or lost to ALS. Sara was the recipient of the New Jersey Press Association Award and was recognized by several organizations for her achievement in raising ALS awareness, including the 2019 inaugural Impact Award presented by the Princeton Mercer Regional Chamber of Commerce.

Sara was a woman whose heart was full of love and compassion. She possessed a unique ability to bring people together and lift them up with her smile, her sense of humor and her humanity, and this never wavered despite her illness. She never focused on her challenges, but instead grew even more grateful for the life she lived and the love she received. She leaves a void in the lives of so many, but also leaves a legacy of kindness, selflessness and a commitment to make a difference in the lives of others, simply by being Sara Cooper.

Sara was born in New York City on September 18, 1962. Sara leaves her husband, Michael James Delehanty; her mother, Mary Jane (Rubino) Cooper, the former Inspector General of the State of New Jersey, of Lambertville, New Jersey; and father Albert Cooper III, of Pinehurst, North Carolina; her brother and sister-in-law, Albert Cooper IV and Mary Platt Cooper, and her beloved nephew, Henry Albert Cooper, all of Hope, Maine and Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Sara was predeceased by her grandparents, Samuel and Philamena Rubino; and the Honorable Albert Cooper Jr. and Kate Cooper; and her adored nephew Keel James Cooper.

In lieu of flowers, Sara requested that donations be provided to Christine’s Hope for Kids and Hope Loves Company. Sara asked that donations not be given in her name to the ALS Association. Condolences are welcome at www.wilsonapple.com.