James Albert Cooler, 80, husband of Marilyn Cooler, of Beaufort, SC, died Monday, May 20, 2024 at his residence.
The family will receive friends on Tuesday, May 28, 2024 from 5-7pm at Anderson Funeral Home.
Graveside funeral service will be held on Wednesday, May 29, 2024 at 11:00am in Beaufort National Cemetery with military honors.
James was born on November 28, 1943 in Ridgeland, SC. He is the son of the late Jim Breland Cooler and Lula Wynn Cooler.
James graduated from Beaufort High School in 1962. He served in the U.S. Navy from 1962 – 1968 as a Hospital Corpsman. He always spoke of his time on carrier duty as what he found most rewarding and served on the USS Intrepid in 1962. He received a Commendation from his Commanding Officer, U.S. Naval Hospital, Portsmouth, Virginia in 1965 for his initiative in devising a new and improved method for surgical cup arthroplasty patients in relieving considerable discomfort on the part of the patients.
Upon his Honorable Discharge from service in 1968, he returned to Beaufort to work with his Father as a Home Builder. He eventually formed James Cooler Construction and became a master builder until he retired in 2018.
Besides his immense talent to create, his intellect and his gift of imagination, his passion laid in the waters of Beaufort. His many hours of scuba diving netted him an extensive collection of artifacts and bottles, some dating back to the 1600’s. He became a Dive Master in 1989. One of his most notable finds was in 1996 with his discovery of an ancient Native American canoe off Parris Island which was restored and is now on display at the Parris Island Museum. He recently had his collection documented by the South Carolina Artifact Documentation Project – Divers Dedicated to Historic Preservation.
James was a man of many talents, who enjoyed adventure, loved his family and was very much loved by his family and by those who knew him. Some referred to him as “The Legend” and indeed he was. May he rest in peace.
Surviving in addition to his wife, Marilyn is one daughter, Melissa Cooler Anderson (Brian); two stepsons, Christian A. Petersen (Jennifer) and Ian W. Sarges; two brothers, Bobby D. Cooler and Lamarr B. Cooler (Anne); one sister, Leigh Cooler; four grandchildren, Willow Anderson, Leif Anderson, Gavin Petersen and Reese Petersen.
He was preceded in death by his parents and one son, James Wayne Cooler. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to: Port Royal Sound Foundation 310 Okatie Hwy., Okatie, SC 29909, (www.PortRoyalSoundFoundation.org), Search & Rescue 817 Paris Ave., Port Royal, SC 29935 (www.bwsar.org) or Agape Care Hospice 4 Grober Hill Rd., Beaufort, SC 29906.
Anderson Funeral Home and Crematory is serving the family.
