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Wednesday, April 22, 2015 The Nugget Newspaper, Sisters, Oregon
Obituaries
raymond robert hatton
randy cooper
February 4, 1932 — March 4, 2015
June 25, 1947 — March 29, 2015
Raymond Robert (Ray)
Hatton passed away peace-
fully on March 4, in Eugene,
with his wife, Sylvia, by his
side. He was 83.
Ray was an educator,
author, and well-known
long-distance runner. He
earned degrees in educa-
tion and geography from
University of Idaho and the
the University of Oregon.
He was an award-winning
college geography professor
for many years. Ray wrote
10 books on Oregon geog-
raphy, history, and climatol-
ogy. In the 1970s and 1980s,
he won numerous masters-
level running championships
and set world and American
records in several long-dis-
tance running events.
Ray was born February 4,
1932 in Lichfield, England,
to Eric Richard Hatton and
Margaret Curry Hatton. Ray
began competitive running
in 1943. Running with the
Birchfield Harriers, he ran a
4:11 mile and 8:57 two-mile
on a cinder track. In 1952, he
represented England in the
International Cross Country
Championships in Glasgow,
Scotland. He married Sylvia
Grace Harvey on February
7, 1953 in Hammerwich,
England. Ray and Sylvia
moved to the United States
in 1956 for Ray to attend
the University of Idaho on
a track and cross-country
scholarship. In 1959, he won
the Pacific Coast Conference
cross-country champion-
ship. He graduated from the
University of Idaho in 1960
with a bachelor of science
degree in education. He then
went on to acquire a masters
of education degree in sec-
ondary education from the
University of Idaho, com-
pleting his post-graduate
work in 1966.
Ray and Sylvia moved to
Sacramento, California, in
1960, where Ray taught at
Don Julio Jr. High School
until 1969.
In 1969, Ray earned a
master of arts in geography
from University of Oregon.
His master’s thesis was on
the impact of tourism on
Central Oregon. Later that
year, he joined the faculty at
Central Oregon Community
College. As a member of the
faculty, his academic inter-
ests included economics,
cultural geography, land use,
and climatology. In 1973, he
published his first book, a
study of the weather and cli-
mate of Bend.
He received a doctorate
degree in geography from
the University of Oregon
in 1989. In 1990, Ray
received Central Oregon
C o m m u n i t y C o l l e g e ’s
Faculty Achievement
Award. During his tenure at
Central Oregon Community
College, he published six
books on Oregon geography,
history, and climatology. He
retired from Central Oregon
Community College in
1993. As a professor emeri-
tus, he continued to research
and write about Oregon, and
wrote several more books,
including “Sisters Country
Weather and Climate”
(1994) and “Oregon’s Sisters
Country” (1996). Over
the years, Ray’s research,
including numerous first-
person field interviews, has
played an important role in
preserving Central Oregon’s
pioneer history.
In addition to teaching
geography at Central Oregon
Community College, and
writing historical geogra-
phy and weather and cli-
mate books, Ray continued
to compete in elite running
events. During the 1970s
and 1980s, he won national
championship races and set
a number of American long-
distance running records in
masters-level competitions.
After back surgery in
1992, Ray retired from
competitive running on
the track, but continued to
compete each year in one
of his favorite races, the
Steens Mountain Rim Run
in Southeastern Oregon.
Ray was inducted into
the USA Track and Field
Masters Hall of Fame in
2001. As of today, four of his
American age-group records
still stand.
In addition to long-dis-
tance running, his recre-
ational interests included
hiking, cross-country skiing
and mountain climbing.
Ray is survived by wife
Sylvia of Bend; his son, R.
Peter Hatton (wife Tana)
of Bend; and his daugh-
ter, Janice Hatton (husband
Charlie Wilshire), of Eugene,
and six grandchildren.
A memorial service with
a reception following will
be held Sunday, April 26,
at 1 p.m. at Central Oregon
Community College,
Campus Center – Wille Hall,
2600 College Way, Bend. It
will be a time to remember
Ray’s immense impact on so
many and share stories of a
life well-lived.
Randy Cooper of Sisters
passed away suddenly on
March 29, 2015, Palm
Sunday, from an acute pul-
monary embolus.
Randy was born in
Chicago, Illinois, 67 years
ago and leaves behind his
devoted wife, Marlene
Dumas, of Sisters; his
b r o t h e r- i n - l a w, K e v i n
Dumas, of Sisters; and his
(other) “mom,” Marjorie
Dumas Mumford, of Bend.
Randy also leaves behind
a daughter from his first
marriage, Wendy Cooper
Velasquez of Joshua Tree,
California; and his brothers,
Robert Cooper of Chicago,
Illinois; and Wayne Cooper,
of Pennsylvania.
Randy was preceded in
death by his parents, Dale
Joan Cooper and Mitchell
Cooper, of Wildwood,
Illinois.
Randy was that rare com-
bination of artistic genius
and engineering brilliance
blessed with an insatiable
drive to find the absolute best
way to do just about any-
thing. His intellectual curios-
ity and designing talent, cou-
pled with boundless energy,
led him to develop several
inventions. After moving
to California from Illinois,
Randy met and fell in life-
long love with Marlene and
enjoyed a successful career
as a designer and engineer.
Randy ultimately went on to
become an inventor, and held
several U.S. patents. Randy’s
most successful invention is
the patented award-winning
“Noodlehead” sprinkler, an
ingenious lawn and garden
sprinkler that won “Best New
Product of the Year” at the
International Hardware Show
and became an international
sensation. Randy brought
his innovative sprinkler to
Oregon where his invention
thrived when he and Marlene
relocated to Sisters from
California in 2001.
Besides Randy’s prolific
engineering feats, he had an
all-consuming passion for
cars. Randy built and painted
several dozen cars in his life-
time and was a true “gear-
head” fanatic. Randy adored
Corvairs, and he owned
several that he customized.
An early favorite he built
was the award-winning V8
mid-engine custom Corvair
he dubbed the “Tangerine
Dream.” Randy also restored
several classic vehicles,
restomod muscle cars, and
several cool hot rods as well.
In addition to all the
energy, ambition, and drive
Randy lavished on the
Noodlehead business and his
many custom car projects, he
cherished gardening and was
proud to have his lovely gar-
dens featured on the annual
Sisters Home and Garden
Tour a few years ago.
Randy was endlessly
innovating new ideas and
had several projects in the
works at any given time. A
friend that worked with him
recently observed that Randy
accomplished more in just
one day than most people
could in a week, and his work
ethic was a true inspiration.
When asked why the relent-
less desire to improve virtu-
ally everything he encoun-
tered; Randy would reply
“he just wanted to make the
world a better place.” And
that he certainly did.
Above all, Randy was a
lively and generous spirit,
with a quick wit and bright
smile, whom many consid-
ered their “best” friend.
Marlene always believed
in Randy’s genius and no
matter the idea, was his
biggest supporter. Though
99.9% of inventions fail to
become marketable, Marlene
never doubted that Randy’s
Noodlehead would become a
success against astronomical
odds. For his part, Randy’s
love and devotion to his wife
was truly something special
to behold, and as she says
“she was the luckiest girl
in the world” to be blessed
with his enduring love for so
many years.
A celebration of Randy’s
remarkable life in honor of
his memory and legacy will
be held in his beautiful gar-
dens at a later date.
In Memory of
Randy Cooper
June 25, 1947 — March 29, 2015
Marlene & Randy 1987