Brea : Late Sam Cooper Named Honorary Mayor for ’85

Sam Cooper, Brea’s mayor pro tem and a longtime city official, was slated to be the city’s next mayor less than two weeks before he died.

To honor him, City Council members recently voted to name Cooper Honorary Mayor for 1985.

“Sam was a man of the hour,” Councilman Carrey J. Nelson said. “He did things for the people of Brea. Even though he knew sometimes he would not be successful, he still fought.

“He believed in the City of Brea, its people and his family. He made things happen in this city.”

Cooper died Nov. 6, 1985, at the age of 66, from a heart attack. His death came as a surprise to his family and friends, who said he had appeared to be in good health. He died the day before he was scheduled to leave with his wife, Diana, on a vacation to Hawaii.

On the day of his death, his wife and friends said that Cooper’s “big dream” was to be mayor of Brea again--a role he held from 1978 to 1979.

“Sometimes when I am sitting here getting ready to vote, I look up at Sam’s picture on the wall, and I ask myself how he would have voted. I’m just thankful for the time we did have together,” Councilwoman Norma Arias Hicks said.

Cooper served on the council from 1972 to 1980, was reelected in 1982 and served as mayor pro tem from 1984 until his death.

A plaque that Cooper’s family--which includes two daughters and four grandsons--gave to the city reads: “Sam Cooper, Honorary Mayor 1985-86. He was a special person, with integrity and dedication, who cared about people and was a friend to all. He loved Brea.”