LELAND — Deron Ellis Cooper, aged 83, passed away peacefully April 13, 2025 in Leland, North Carolina. He was born March 26, 1942 in Los Angeles, California to Wayne Cooper and Roberta Thomas Cooper.
He is survived by his life partner, Sharon Chung, his daughter, Leah Elise Cooper and her husband Robert Raymond, his son, Eben Gibran Cooper, as well as Sharon’s children: Kevin Chung, his wife, Ami Chung, and their children, Xavier, Aja, and Anjali; Tanya Coon, her husband, David Coon, and their daughter, Bella; and Alicia Scott, her husband, Jason Scott, and their children Adam, Taylor, and Sierra. Other family members include his first wife, Linda Cooper, his brothers, Michael Heath Cooper and Christopher Wayne Cooper, as well as his stepmother, Ruth B. Cooper, and her son, Norman.
Deron was a true seeker of knowledge, and his path took him to study philosophy and mathematics. He was the creator and founder of The Math Project, a program that taught children and adults, from special education to gifted, who struggled learning math. Deron was an entrepreneur, inventor, and problem solver. A serious railroad injury propelled him to go to college, and he graduated from the University of the State of New York.
He was appreciated by both parents and students for his ability to use stories, as he often said, to take the stress away, and he felt that no child should have to cry over homework. His father was an activist against racial prejudice, and Deron continued this legacy of equality for all his students. He helped everyone see math differently, that math is not hard, and eventually people knew it for themselves. Deron was a one-of-a-kind educator and humanitarian.
A celebration of Deron’s life will take place in a Zoom gathering on Sunday April 27th at 1:00 PM Pacific Time (4:00 PM Eastern Time). Friends, family, loved ones, all welcome. To attend, login or create a free account in Zoom and visit https://tinyurl.com/deroncooper.
