KALAMAZOO, Mich. – After a life time committed to education, amateur sports, and the game of baseball, Joe Cooper passed away on November 13, 2021. The Greenville, Michigan native, known as "Mr. Baseball" for his dedication and contributions to the game, Cooper was a 1986 inductee into the Western Michigan University Athletics Hall of fame.
Following his service time during World War II as a medic in the Army Air Corps, Cooper earned his teaching certificate from Western Michigan University in 1948. Cooper and his wife Willo relocated to Marshall where he began a 35-year career with the Marshall Public Schools as a teacher, coach, and administrator.