Mr. Henry Mack Cooper, age 86, of Fort Payne passed away peacefully Saturday August 15 2026 at his home surrounded by his family and a caregiver. He was born April 7, 1940 to the late Leman and Edith Harrison Cooper.
Mack was a hard worker from an early age. Among the jobs he held included a paper route, delivery person for St. Johns Bakery, a DJ for WZOB radio, a fire fighter with the City of Fort Payne and worked for V.I. Prewett and Son’s in greige stock and the dye house.
In 1959 Mack and Leman had saved enough money to buy one Banner knitting machine which they ran from the basement of Leman’s house. He sold his first 350 dozen of socks to V.I. and also started supplying both V.I. Prewett and Durham Hosiery with socks. This was the beginning of what became Cooper Hosiery Mills Inc.
Visitation will be Tuesday August 18th from 12:00 noon until the 4:00 PM hour of service at Wilson Funeral Home chapel with Rev. Brian Maxwell officiating. Burial will follow at Walnut Grove Cemetery. The family is accepting flowers.
Pallbearers will be Dallas Poe, Baeden McAbee, Danny Hughes, Lawrence Floyd, Keith Burgess and Troy Hedden.
The family would like to thank his loyal and devoted caregivers, the hospice team at Southern Care New Beacon and Dr. Anthony Sims at Henegar Family Medicine.
He is survived by his wife Ruby Knight Cooper, daughters Kim Cooper Poe (Lance), Karen Cooper McAbee (Chris), grandchildren Dallas Blake Poe (Kellie), Baeden Cooper McAbee; great grandchildren Ella Blake Poe and Palmer Claire Poe; and sister Phyllis Stanley; Ruby’s daughter Susan Mitchell (Stan), grandchildren Sawyer Putman (Taylor), Payton Kirby (Ben); and great grandchildren Eleanor, William and Margaret Putnam and Nolan, Annie and Lucy Kirby.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother James Tommy Cooper.
Wilson Funeral Home and Crematory of Fort Payne is in charge of arrangements.
