Doyle (Major) Dixon (Dick) Cooter
Died: 08-29-2005
Maj. Doyle Dixon "Dick" Cooter, U.S. Air Force retired,
of Lake Drive, died
Monday morning at Life Care Center of Greeneville at
the age of 73.
Mr. Cooter was born Dec. 9, 1931, in Greene County, and
was a son of the
late Doyle Bascom and Dorothy Dixon Cooter.
He received a bachelor of arts degree from Christopher
Newport College of
the College of William and Mary in Newport News, Va.
On Sept. 27, 1952, Mr. Cooter entered the U.S. Air
Force and retired after
more than 24 years of active service on Aug. 31, 1977.
During his military service, he was a command pilot
with more than 6,400
hours in the following aircraft: C-130, C-121, U3,
T-29, C-54, T-33, T-28,
C-47 and T-34. He was also squadron commander for 305th
Field Maintenance
Squadron and also squadron commander for the 305th
Organizational
Maintenance Squadron.
During his military career, he received the following
military decorations:
the Bronze Star, the Meritorious Service Medal, the Air
Force Commendation
Medal with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the National Defense
Service Medal with one
Bronze Service Star, the Good Conduct Medal with one
Oak Leaf Cluster, the
five Oak Leaf Clusters, the Air Force Outstanding Unit
Award with two Oak
Leaf Clusters, two Service Stars, the Vietnam Service
Medal with four Bronze
Stars, the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal with Palm
Unit Citation, and
the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross Medal with Palm
Unit Citation.
Mr. Cooter also retired from North American Rayon Corp.
in Elizabethton; The
Austin Co, and Takoma Adventist Hospital.
He was a member of Greeneville Cumberland Presbyterian
Church.
Mr. Cooter served the City of Tusculum as a
commissioner. He was also
involved in his community through a number of
organizations including the
Military Officers Association of America, Tennessee
Foundation for
Independent Colleges, Boy Scouts of America, the
Breakfast Exchange Club,
the Greeneville-Greene County Center for Technology,
the Pioneer Club of
Tusculum College, where he was chairman, team captain
and team member,
Greene County Reality Program, National Society of
Fund-Raising Executives -
Mountain Empire Chapter; Greeneville-Greene County
Education Edge Program,
and a life member of the Greeneville-Greene County
Center for Technology
advisory committee.
He was instrumental in the ROTC program in the Greene
County School System,
and he served on various advisory committees for the
Greene County School
System.
Mr. Cooter was a member of the Greene County School
System Student
Discipline Committee, Loyal Order of the Moose, Lodge
No. 692; the American
Legion Post No. 64; and Veterans of Foreign Wars,
Andrew Johnson Post No.
1990, and he was a Mason.
One of the Greene County Partnership's active
volunteers, Mr. Cooter served
as a member of the Partnership board of directors from
its inception in 1993
until his health forced him to resign in 2004.
He was instrumental in organizing the Partnership's
2000 Warbird Air Show,
serving as a co-chairman of the event, and was chairman
of the Government
Community Action Team, which evolved from the
Partnership's Goals
Conference.
In addition, he was active in the Partners In Education
Program, serving as
a member of the steering committee and the AIMS
Scholars committee.
He was also a member of the Greene County Bank Ladies'
Classic advertising
sales committee and helped each year with the annual
Greeneville Christmas
Parade, which was coordinated by the Partnership and
the Greeneville Morning
Exchange Club.
He is survived by his wife: Doris Blevins Cooter; a
daughter: Dicky Lou
Cooter of Elizabethton; three sons and their wives:
Michael R. and Stephanie
Cooter of Jonesborough, Lt. Col. Mark A. Cooter and his
wife, Capt. Angelina
M. Maguinness of Shaw Air Force Base in South Carolina,
and Matthew H.
Cooter of Elizabethton; and seven grandchildren and a
grandson-in-law:
Justin D. Cooter, Taylor L. Cooter, Brittany L. Cooter,
Jaclyn E. Cooter,
Katherine E. Cooter, Brian Shell, and Leigh Ann and
Brett Purgason.
The family will receive friends from 2-3 p.m. Saturday
at Greeneville CP
Church.
A service in celebration of his life will follow
visitation at 3 o'clock at
the church. The Rev. Jamie Lively and the Rev. Roy
Blakeburn will officiate.
Following the service, full military honors will be
conveyed by Shaw Air
Force Base Honor Guard. His family will receive friends
following military
honors.
Memorial contributions may be made to one of the
following: National
Parkinson's Foundation Inc., Attn: Mary Ann Sprinkle,
Director of
Development, 1501 N.W. 9th Ave., Bob Hope Road, Miami,
FL 33136-1494;
Alzheimer's Association, 207 N. Boone St., Suite 1500,
Johnson City, TN
37604; or the American Cancer Society, 508 Princeton
Road, Suite 102,
Johnson City, TN 37601.
Rose Hill Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
