Paul Jefferson Cooper, 86, of Jefferson City, died Tuesday, March 13, 2018, at the Harry S. Truman Veterans Administration Hospital in Columbia. He was born on October 17, 1931, in Piggott, Arkansas, the son of the late Alvy Ray Cooper and Anney May Langston Cooper. He was married on May 25, 1956, in Morley, Missouri, to Betty Maxine Fox who survives at the home. A 1950 graduate of Greenway (Arkansas) High School, Mr. Cooper received a Bachelor of Science in Education degree from Arkansas State University in 1960, and a Master of Arts in Administration degree from the University of Mississippi in 1964. He retired in 1990 as a classroom teacher with the Parkway School District in St. Louis County where he had served for twenty-five years. He was a U.S. Army veteran of the Korean Conflict. Mr. Cooper was a member of the Center for Spiritual Living in St. Louis; the Missouri Retired Teachers Association; and the North American Society for Adlerian Psychology. Survivors include three children, Cathy Cooper, Columbia, Missouri; Deborah (Bill) Challenger, Russellville, Missouri; and James Paul (Lori) Cooper, Seattle, Washington. He was preceded in death by three brothers, Remmel Cooper, Carl Cooper, and Charles Cooper; and three sisters, Verl Rodden, Ruth Morgan and Bernice Ward. Private family services will be held at a later date. Memorials are suggested to Missouri River Regional Library Foundation, 214 Adams Street, Jefferson City, MO 65101.