A tribute to Terence Cooper
Thursday 8th September, 2011PCN is sad to announce the death of our treasurer, Terence Cooper. He will be greatly missed by the whole organisation. Our chair, John Churcher, has written this tribute and we invite readers to add further memories and tributes in the comment section below the article.
A tribute to Terence Cooper
Terence Cooper, our much loved and respected Treasurer, died peacefully surrounded by his family on September 1st. Not only has his sudden death impacted upon his wife Maggie and the family, but the unexpectedness of his passing has been an immense shock to all who knew him. We who had the privilege of knowing Terence were constantly aware that we were in the presence of someone very special, someone with a remarkable depth of humanity in all he said and did. It was a mark of his humility that having given so much to others he himself used to wonder if he had really done very much at all.
Like so many of us progressive Christians, Terence was born and brought up in the conservative-evangelical environment. Terence and Maggie moved into their present Ipswich home some 40 years ago. They raised their three children there and were completely involved in church and community activities. To the end Terence had involvement with the Baptist denomination where he served loyally for over fifty years at local, county, regional and national level.
And again, similar to the path that so many of us had trodden, it was only after the adult children had left home and retirement had come [and in Terence’s case at the age of 50 from BT] there was more time to think and to read. In those recent post-retirement ‘formative’ years it was in the company of Maggie and close friends with whom it was safe to talk, that Terence began to find a liberation of his faith. The writings of friends of PCN, such as Jack Spong, proved to be very influential upon him and led him along what he called “a journey which is both scary and exciting.”
Terence had been one of the Trustees of PCN Britain and our Treasurer for less than 2 years, yet from the first time that he attended a Management Committee meeting we all knew that we were in the presence of someone exceptional. This was much to do with his natural humour and his infectious enthusiasm for life itself and for his exploration of progressive Christianity that he shared with us and other members of PCN Britain. He always had the right word at the right time.
Terence was a Chartered Engineer by profession and worked throughout his career with BT. These skills were regularly offered as he ‘repaired’ PCs of Management Committee members over the Internet - a repairman at a distance ‘operating’ from in front of his Skype camera!
There were many interests in his life and he was Treasurer in at least three different charitable organisations. He was also the catalyst for a ‘select group’ of clergy and lay folk who sent him ‘Internet’ stories for sharing with one another. It helped many of us face up to the daily emotional challenges of ministry.
Terence was a great friend, totally committed to the work and cause of PCN Britain. He brought real warmth to his professionalism and a genuine interest in the well being of others. We all will miss Terence immensely. We have all been greatly blessed by his dignity and commitment to life. It is a mark of his total commitment to life on-going that his request was for his body to be donated for organ transplants.
Terence was above all a loving family man. He adored his seven grandchildren even though, by his own admission, they consumed a lot of his energy. His wife Maggie, three married children and the grandchildren survive Terence. Although the family has asked us to remember the good times that we all shared with Terence, we especially remember Maggie and the rest of the family as they now think about the future without him.
Let us keep our memories of Terence and be grateful for all that he has done for us as individuals and as organisations. If ever anyone deserved the accolade of ‘well done, good and faithful servant’, it was Terence.
John Churcher, chair PCN Britain
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Posted by Andy Vivian, PCN Administrator