I am lucky to be a Cooley. When I got married to Daniel R. Cooley back in 1974 I was (already) a feminist but I also thought it would be fun to change my name. You don’t get to do that every day. So to honor my father who had four girls I kept his name as my middle name and dutifully sign everything Sylvia Shepard Cooley.
I have known the Cooleys for 52 years and the Tuckers (Idora Cooley married Ransom Tucker) for 58 years.
My son is Alex, Alexander Shepard Cooley and he has another Charlie Cooley in the next generation (aka Charlotte).
Here are four generations of the Cooleys, from left to right: Daniel (2nd gen.), Charles (1st gen.), Charlotte (4th gen.) and Alex (3rd gen.):
If something happens to me tomorrow, I want to go on the record as having had the most wonderful life with the Cooleys.
Harry H. Cooley at his book signing in 1978 with his grandson Daniel R. Cooley (my husband) and his son Charles H. Cooley (my father-in-law). We believe the woman talking with them is Margaret Hodgson (wife of Bill Hodgson who taught horticulture at the Aggie school).
Harry and his son Charles as a baby away from the farm in Randolph Center and visiting the in-laws (Smalls) in Claremont, N.H. 1927
Charles H. Cooley as a young man.
Charles visiting at our place in Western Mass working on the tractor (it was his and he gave it to us...a treasure).
Harry Cooley was just so nice to me, as was Charles. I was truly welcomed into the family and treated with a lot of respect. Getting to know them was wonderful. Both such intelligent, interesting people. Their Bios could fill a book, but suffice it to say: farmers, Vermonters, educated, well-read, life-long learners, politically active Democrats, Secretary of State in Vermont (Harry), High School and then college math teacher (Charles), military member (Charles, Navy and Army), fathers, grandfathers, great-grandfathers, long-lived (Harry a couple weeks shy of 93, Charles 91), lovely men. Hard to describe time with them but it gives me a warm, comfortable feeling...they were engaging but were also interested in what you had to say.
Thank you for this house at Ridge Road. <3