Our good friend, husband, father, brother, and grandfather, Bart Cooper, passed away at Providence Hospice Place Monday, July 3, at age 81.
Memorial Service: 2PM, Wednesday, July 19, 2023 Lake Shore Funeral Home Chapel
Bart grew up on a potato farm in Utah and served in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam conflict before joining the car business.
He was best known in the Waco area for the 15 years he served as President and General Manager of Allen Samuels Chevrolet/Mercedes-Benz in Waco, where he led the dealership to become the consistent top-selling Chevy dealer in Central Texas.
Following the example of Allen Samuels, Bart continued the dealership’s commitment to the Waco community, particularly through the McLennan County Junior Livestock Show and Baylor athletics.
Before moving to Waco, Bart served as Parts Manager and then Fixed Operations Manager for 10 years at Allen Samuels North Loop Dodge in North Richland Hills. Allen Samuels recognized Bart’s talent and people skills and chose him to manage the Waco dealership, which was the flagship of Allen Samuels Auto Group.
Bart was an outstanding cultivator of talent, recognizing potential and promoting employees to higher positions. One of his greatest tributes is that four of his former department managers became new car dealers after learning from him.
Bart doted on his family, with his wife Candy. He was a loving and nurturing father and grandfather and loved his adventures with his two grandsons AJ and Nate. He taught them golf and shared with them his love for the Baylor Bears and Lady Bears, frequently taking them to games.
His other love was the game of golf, which he enjoyed, and he discovered life lessons each time he played. One of his favorite quotes was, “I will never go home and brag and the lay-up shot I hit. I will enthusiastically go for a low percentage shot over a water hazard, hoping I might go home and be proud that I accomplished something spectacular on the golf course!”
Following his auto career, Bart and son Alan acquired ERA Graceland Real Estate in Waco, sold the franchise, and later worked with Alan at Duck Brothers Real Estate after a few years retired from the real estate industry.
Bart grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah, and looked forward to the day when his Baylor Bears would play his Brigham Young Cougars in the Big 12.
Bart is survived locally by his wife Maria “Candy,” Cooper, his son Alan Cooper wife Angie Lauderdale, grandsons AJ Cooper and Nate Cooper,
Also, sons not locally, Sammy Cooper and wife Lynsey Cooper, granddaughters Kristina Smothers and Amanda Mann, and great grand kids. Terry Albritton and wife Camilla and their four children
Also not locally his daughter Laura Harris and husband David Harris; granddaughters Lindsay Roser and Charlyn Fenton and great grandchildren Liam Roser and Mayla Fenton
Siblings Mont Cooper, Connie Watson, Craig Cooper, Patricia Bowman, and Kerry Cooper; and numerous nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his son Clint Cooper.
The family asks that any donations in Bart’s honor be made to the McLennan County Junior Livestock Show Scholarship Fund.
Print Obituary & Condolences
Mr. Cooper you will truly be missed! I have so many great memories with you! I am thankful for the time I got to spend with you. Love Always, Kim Chow 💙🙏🏻
A great man and a true gentleman. He will be missed.
Always enjoyed visiting and talking with Mr Cooper . He will be missed !
Prayers for the Cooper Family. Thank you Bart for your commitment to the youth involved in 4H and FFA. You have made a lasting impact on so many.
Bart was a fine gentleman and will be missed.
Bart Cooper has left so many positive impressions on my life that I’ll never forget him. As a friend, he showed compassion when I needed it. We also shared laughter and every moment together led me to walk away a little happier and a little smarter.
As a businessman, I was in awe of how wise he was in managing Allen Samuels Chevrolet/Mercedes-Benz and how he helped grow an already successful enterprise. He inspired and motivated his team, and he led four of his department heads to become new car dealers themselves.
I saw him make tough decisions that were always in favor of the customer. He had a moral compass that was consistently fair and honorable. Even on our final visit, he was uplifting and encouraging, recalling fond memories.
I will miss you, Bart. And I will continue to learn from you.
Well said, John. He was a very wonderful friend. Always at the ready to step in and help. He and Dan had a true brotherhood. They could spend hours talking. Dan and I shared many fun times with Bart and Candy. The best were at his house with Candy preparing a feast. Sadly, I didn’t know Bart was ill. I only found out last week that he had passed away.
One of the things I’ll never forget are the yearly birthday calls to Dan and me. He called me on Dan’s birthday even after Dan was no longer with us. Hope all is well with you. I’ll be at the memorial tomorrow. Susan Savage
Rest peacefully, my friend. Say hello to Clint for me when you tee it up at the Big course.
My prayers of peace are with you and your family.
I was a 19-year-old parts manager at an AMC dealership in Des Moines, Iowa back in 1970. This young, sharp dressed guy named Bart Cooper, who was hired by American Motors, would show up a couple times a year to take my parts inventory. Because of my age and my inexperience, I would lean on Bart for advice over the years. He was wonderful to me for no reason, other than he was just a great guy and felt sorry for this dumb kid, I guess. Over the years he and I became very close. In 1981 I moved to Dallas and Bart was living in Abilene. I told Bart of a job opening in Fort Worth and he took it. He and Candy moved to North Richland Hills in approximately 1986 and he took over the Allen Samuel’s Dodge parts department, becoming one of my fiercest competitors for many years. Allen set him up in a Chevrolet store in Waco where he ran a very successful business, and the rest is history. Bart and I were in contact periodically and when we talked it was like no time had passed. I just talked to him a few days before his passing, and we had set a date for lunch in August. I’m broken hearted in his passing. He has been my brother, mentor, friend, advisor, competitor, for fifty-five years. The world will not be the same without him. I will miss him so much.
Mr. Cooper was an amazing soul who cared and was a very fair individual. He had so much knowledge to share. I loved seeing his daily inspiration posts on Facebook. His presence will definitely be missed.