Marian Cooper graduated from college in her native Wisconsin in 1946 and headed to Port Jervis for a teaching job.  Port Jervis became her hometown and she weaved herself into the fabric of small town life until she became an integral part of the city, it's organizations and it's people. . . .   so much so that she was named the Tri-State Gazette's Citizen of the Year in 1994, the year she suddenly passed away.

Shortly after starting her teaching career in the high school as a gym teacher, she applied for a sabbatical to join the groundbreaking Women's Professional Baseball League.  As a chaperone for the Fort Wayne Daisies, she traveled extensively with the team.  The Daisies and a few other teams were the inspiration for, and the basis of the movie, "A League of Their Own".

After returning, she settled back into teaching and married life.  Marian and her husband, Stan, owned and operated Cooper's Dairy.  In addition to her teaching career expanding to include Health, which spanned 30 years, and owning a business, she became very involved in numerous charities and organizations.

She was Auxiliary Board President for St. Francis Hospital (now Bon Secours) for many years, and also served on the advisory board.  Marian Cooper was vice-president of the Port Jervis Depot Preservation Society, working to restore the railroad depot where she first arrived in town so many years prior.  She was involved in the Minisink Valley Historical Society, Middle School PTA, Civil Service Commission, the Port Jervis Planning Board, and the Port Jervis School Board.  Marian was an ambitious fundraiser for other charities as well, including the Red Cross, the American Heart Association, and the American Cancer Society.  During her almost 50 years in Port Jervis, Marian worked to preserve the heritage of her adopted hometown, as well as plan for the future.

Though she worked tirelessly for many causes, she still made plenty of time for her family, friends, and her students.  Her plate was always full yet she managed to pull it off with a unique panache, a lot of laughs and an uncompromised zest for living life to its fullest.