Roberta "Robin" Ann Cooley

Roberta "Robin" Cooley née Long: Named for her mother's favorite musical, she loved song and dance. She worked for many years - both volunteering and employed - in children's musical theatre and choirs. Her favorite style of music was mushy love songs, such as Neil Sedaka's 'Love Will Keep Us Together'. She was married for 46 years to Lynn Cooley, and is survived by her husband and two children, Trisha Nowell and Daron James, as well as her sister Linda and brother Kenneth. Called a 'little robin bird' by her grandmother, the nickname stuck and was loved her whole life. Robin attended Leigh High School in San Jose, CA, from 1969-1973. She liked to tell of a mix-up in diplomas, where Roberta graduated with honors, while "Robin" merely graduated. At CSU Hayward (now CSU East Bay), Robin was a mezzo soprano voice major, graduating in 1977. Her father was betting she wouldn't finish college after getting married, but she was determined to prove him wrong. (Some Senior Recital recordings are included in this page's media; the whole performance available upon private request.) Two of her favorite charities, should you wish to donate in her name, were United Nations High Commission for Refugees (www.UNHCR.org) which helps and protects refugees and people displaced by violence, and Southwest Indian Foundation (www.SouthwestIndian.com) which works to lessen the poverty and unemployment among the Native Americans of the Southwest.