Love is in the air! James & Carol Cooper celebrate 60th Anniversary

By Rhonda Cooper

JA Guest Writer

James and Carol Cooper, both born and raised in Greenville, Mississippi, celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary on Saturday, December 27th, 2025. 

The two met when James, a junior at Coleman High School, attended a carnival at Sacred Heart Catholic School where Carol was also a junior. That school outing was the beginning of their love and life together. 

They were married on Sunday, December 26, 1965, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Greenville.

To welcome travelers from near and far, the couple began the commemoration of their 60-year marriage with a Meet and Greet on Friday, December 26th, at the Hyatt Place in Ridgeland. The gathering was light and festive and an opportunity for those present to continue sharing in the spirit of Christmas. 

A Celebration Mass at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Madison Saturday morning marked the highlight of the diamond anniversary. Family, friends, and fellow parishioners came together to worship and witness as Fr. Albeen Vatti and Msg. Elvin Sunds officiated the Mass. The couple’s children, Rhonda and Ryan, and granddaughters, Caron and Kallia, were Mass participants.

During the homily, Fr. Albeen used the letters in the couple’s last name to emphasize their union and commitment to God, family, church, and community: Courageous; Optimistic; Obedient; Playful; Earnest; and Responsible. 

The Mass concluded with the presentation of an Apostolic Blessing from Pope Leo XIV to the Coopers as an intercession and invocation of divine grace for the occasion of their 60th wedding anniversary.

An exceptionally elegant reception followed at the Country Club of Jackson, where the attendees socialized both with familiar faces and new acquaintances. It was a beautiful melding of high spirits and warm souls bound by one thread: LOVE. 

Instead of bringing gifts, guests were asked to donate to their choice of five charities: the Alzheimer’s Association, Diabetes Foundation of Mississippi, Catholic Charities, Inc., American Heart Association, and Blair Batson Children’s Hospital. Female donors received fresh, long-stemmed roses as a token of appreciation for their contributions. The amount of funds raised was astonishing, and each of the charities was grateful for the immense support of their missions. 

The Coopers’ son, granddaughters, and grandson-in-law, Reginald, shared with the well-wishers how their (grand)parents influenced and enriched their own lives with love, support, and guidance. And their daughter provided a unique historical tribute to her parents with the same six words to describe their decades-long journey and the lessons learned from them. 

The audience listened attentively to how Courageous James and Carol were after graduating high school to leave the familiarity of Greenville for the unknown of Los Angeles, California, in June 1963. 

Although their plans for life in California changed, the two remained Optimistic when James enlisted in the United States Air Force and Carol returned home to Greenville by way of Minneapolis, Minnesota.  

The couple, knowing the importance of Obedience to God, married after James completed the military’s basic training. James, his bride, and baby girl lived for a short while in Amarillo, Texas – another large state for a small, yet Courageous, young family. 

The United States, then at war in Vietnam, deployed the Air Force there. James and Carol were resigned to Optimism and Obedience because they believed in and trusted God during this separation. 

Carol graduated from Mississippi Valley State College with her degree in English in 1967 and began teaching immediately. James completed his military service in 1968 and enrolled in Jackson State College where he majored in Accountancy.

The next five years found the family traveling on weekends between Jackson and Greenville and attending Mass on Sundays at Christ the King Church on Lynch Street when in Jackson. 

Committed to love and happiness, James and Carol are a Playful pair. He has always teased and joked about his wife, while she, a “lefty,” has never hesitated to punch her husband in the arm. 

In 1973, they transferred their playfulness and playtimes from Greenville to Jackson permanently when they purchased their first home in Bel Aire Estates, the first subdivision in Jackson developed exclusively for Black families. The couple’s son was born in 1976.

Earnest because of their Delta upbringing and work ethic, James and Carol moved from Jackson to Madison County where they have now resided for 37 years. 

Throughout these years, James and Carol welcomed two granddaughters; dedicated themselves to service at Holy Ghost Catholic Church; devoted countless hours of leadership to the Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver; retired from their long-standing careers; enjoyed the company of their “walking” and “golf” buddies; and continued traveling extensively with friends and family. Most recently, the couple has embraced the joys of becoming great-grandparents.

Throughout all circumstances, the Coopers have remained Responsible, a quality reflected not only in their children and grandchildren but also recognized by those acquainted with them. 

Celebrating 60 years of love, the couple’s niece, Danielle Cooper, said, “My Uncle James and Aunt Carol have shown us what it means to love from a young age, build as a unit, and grow old together. This is what 60 years of marriage looks like.”