Cooper, David Jesse Green

Dave Cooper AKA Jesse Green. 

Born in 1951 in Trail, BC and died in 2021 in Nelson BC. 

He had a tough childhood and was put in a situation that no child should ever face.  He dropped out of school in grade 8 but he never gave up on life.  He lived an exciting life and remained best friends with his teenage pals throughout his life right up until the day of his passing. 

In his twenties he worked hard to become accepted in the Paramedic training program at SAIT in Calgary, Alberta as he began to start his own family.  Having only a Grade 8 education he was turned down multiple times for the Paramedic program but he did not gave up and eventually was accepted.  He went on to have a very successful career as a paramedic with the City of Calgary and helped save many lives in the process and became an emergency dispatcher for 911 in the City of Calgary. 

In this role he stood out as well and was recognized for  helping a family deliver their baby over the phone on a 911 call.    As a paramedic he unfortunately contracted the bloodborne pathogen, Hepatitis C. 

He was forced to retire from service due to the liver damage this virus caused him and was fortunate to be matched with a liver donor.  This gift of a transplanted liver gave him another 20 years of life. 

In 2013 he was told by the Southern Alberta Liver Transplant Clinic that extracellular hepatis C had damaged his transplanted liver to the point that would not survive much longer.  He prepared for his own passing for the next 9 months until the same clinic called him back in to inform him that a treatment was now available.  He did not immediately jump at the idea of undergoing another treatment ( he had been through 2 failed treatments already and did not want to feel any sicker). 

He decided to try it so that one day he would be able to meet his grandchild.  He did eventually meet her and she was at his house multiple times per week right up until his passing.  He did not bring the trauma of his own childhood into his family as an adult and provided a wonderful childhood for his only son, Christopher Green, who is forever grateful for this.  His passions were mostly outdoors and included, hunting, fishing, camping and hiking. 

He enjoyed playing a nice round of golf with family and friends.  He was a person that had kindness for both strangers and friends alike and passed this beautiful quality on to his son.  He lived a wild youth, was an excellent father and found a very special love at the end of his life with Yvonne Shewfelt.  She is an amazing woman that stayed by his side till the day of his death. 

This was a grand display of love as the last 6 months of his life were spent in a hospital bed in his living room.  In the last week of his life his closest friends and family took the time to tell him over speaker phone old stories, how much they loved him, and to say goodbye when he could no longer speak and was in a coma caused by his end stage liver disease.  This show of love was a reflection of the love that he imparted on to others. 

He left a lasting mark on his family, friends, and community and is survived by two brothers, Ron and Doug Cooper, his son Chris Green and his precious granddaughter Maia Green.