Randy Cooper June 25, 1947 - March 29, 2015

Randy Cooper of Sisters passed away suddenly on March 29, 2015, Palm Sunday, from an acute pulmonary embolus.

Randy was born in Chicago, Illinois, 67 years ago and leaves behind his devoted wife, Marlene Dumas, of Sisters; his brother-in-law, Kevin Dumas, of Sisters; and his (other) "mom," Marjorie Dumas Mumford, of Bend. Randy also leaves behind a daughter from his first marriage, Wendy Cooper Velasquez of Joshua Tree, California; and his brothers, Robert Cooper of Chicago, Illinois; and Wayne Cooper, of Pennsylvania.

Randy was preceded in death by his parents, Dale Joan Cooper and Mitchell Cooper, of Wildwood, Illinois.

Randy was that rare combination of artistic genius and engineering brilliance blessed with an insatiable drive to find the absolute best way to do just about anything.

His intellectual curiosity and designing talent, coupled with boundless energy, led him to develop several inventions.

After moving to California from Illinois, Randy met and fell in life-long love with Marlene and enjoyed a successful career as a designer and engineer.

Randy ultimately went on to become an inventor, and held several U.S. patents.

Randy's most successful invention is the patented award-winning "Noodlehead" sprinkler, an ingenious lawn and garden sprinkler that won "Best New Product of the Year" at the International Hardware Show and became an international sensation.

Randy brought his innovative sprinkler to Oregon where his invention thrived when he and Marlene relocated to Sisters from California in 2001.

Besides Randy's prolific engineering feats, he had an all-consuming passion for cars. Randy built and painted several dozen cars in his lifetime and was a true "gearhead" fanatic. Randy adored Corvairs, and he owned several that he customized. An early favorite he built was the award-winning V8 mid-engine custom Corvair he dubbed the "Tangerine Dream." Randy also restored several classic vehicles, restomod muscle cars, and several cool hot rods as well.

In addition to all the energy, ambition, and drive Randy lavished on the Noodlehead business and his many custom car projects, he cherished gardening and was proud to have his lovely gardens featured on the annual Sisters Home and Garden Tour a few years ago.

Randy was endlessly innovating new ideas and had several projects in the works at any given time. A friend that worked with him recently observed that Randy accomplished more in just one day than most people could in a week, and his work ethic was a true inspiration. When asked why the relentless desire to improve virtually everything he encountered; Randy would reply "he just wanted to make the world a better place." And that he certainly did.

Above all, Randy was a lively and generous spirit, with a quick wit and bright smile, whom many considered their "best" friend.

Marlene always believed in Randy's genius and no matter the idea, was his biggest supporter. Though 99.9% of inventions fail to become marketable, Marlene never doubted that Randy's Noodlehead would become a success against astronomical odds. For his part, Randy's love and devotion to his wife was truly something special to behold, and as she says "she was the luckiest girl in the world" to be blessed with his enduring love for so many years.

A celebration of Randy's remarkable life in honor of his memory and legacy will be held in his beautiful gardens at a later date.