Peter (Pete) Bennett Cooper age 61, passed away peacefully at home on Saturday, February 2, 2019 in Fallbrook, CA.

Born in San Diego on July 15, 1957, Pete was the son of the late Jeannette Cooper. He is survived by his wife (Trish Clarke Cooper), his siblings (Chris, Jennifer, Jerry, Victoria, Anne, Tim and Rachel), his nephews (Patterson, Sean, Patrick, Corey), his aunts and uncles (Bob, Ginger, Joyce, Jeanne, Bruce, Ruth and Glenn) and his beloved dogs (Ginger, Bramble and Kruger).

At a young age he began working in restaurants, starting as a dishwasher, working his way up to chef. During this period and for numerous years after, he indulged in his love for racing at the Cajon Speedway. In 1989, with the encouragement of his friend, Tim Stayton, Pete began a four-year carpentry apprenticeship, after which he became a journeyman carpenter. He worked in the Maintenance Division at San Onofre Nuclear Power Station for 20 years, where he was a Union Carpenter, as well as a Supervisor during outages. Known there as Zopilote by his friends, he retired in 2013.

Pete's favorite things included food, golfing with his buddies, travel, auto racing, fishing, curling, training his dogs, plus crushing opponents in Words-with-Friends and political discussions.

Many of his best times were spent traveling with his wife, family and friends. Some of his notable trips included: Kruger National Park in South Africa; Canadian Rocky Mountaineer Train Trips; cruises to Mexico, Canada and the British Isles; Yosemite camping; Sierra Mountain glamping; and, especially annual family reunions at Mammoth Lakes, Las Vegas, British Columbia and Canmore Canada, where the family survived the Great Flood, started by his sister, Jennifer.