Cooper Livingston Burchenal 1964-2015 – He was a Montana gentleman in the truest sense of the word.

On Saturday, Dec. 12, 2015, Cooper Livingston Burchenal, 51, left behind a loving family and a great many dear friends after an extended illness. Those for who he fought so hard to remain with were by his side all the way.

Cooper was born Sept. 1, 1964, in Glendale, Ohio. He was a man of immense modesty and genuine compassion, and his kindness and gentle demeanor won him a great number of close friends from all walks from near and far.

He had a great passion for music and art: the more obscure the better. He was a prolific painter and drawer, delighting many with hilarious cartons and introspective paintings. Although he was a native of Cincinnati, Cooper grew up in the Northwest, ranching, backpacking, mountain climbing and horseback riding. He appreciated the vastness of the landscape as well as the minutia of plant and insect life with everything in between. He genuinely saw the world in a unique way.

To those who knew him best, he could always be counted on to argue the liberal perspective to his mother and the conservative perspective to his Missoula friends. He always rooted for the underdog. He was a master of funny walks, long involved stories sometimes accompanied by comedic drawings, and a great listener and conversationalist. In short, he was a gentleman in the truest sense of the word.

Cooper will be remembered as a great humanist, a fiercely independent thinker, a lover of all forms of music, a dog lover, and having the most tremendous head of red hair.

He is survived by adoring wife and closest friend, Anne; his devoted children, Cyril, Copeland and Celeste; his loving parents, Ralph and Martha (Toone); his dear brother and friend, Jamie; his devoted and loving cousin, Carol Lyne; and a loving, extended family that includes many aunts and uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews whose lives were greatly enriched by his life.

Services will be held at Holy Spirit Parish, 130 S. Sixth St. E., in Missoula at noon Thursday, Dec. 17, with a reception to follow at the Double Tree Hotel, 100 Madison St. Officiating will be Rev. Teri Ann Grotzinger.

A second service will be held at noon Saturday, Jan 2, at Christ Church Glendale, 965 Forest Ave., in Glendale, Ohio, officiated by the Rev. Roger Foote. A reception will follow at the Glendale Lyceum.