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Nancy Van Gulick Cooper, a longtime Alexandria resident whose decades of service reached from local foster care to international water projects, died Dec. 14, 2024, after a yearlong battle with cancer. She was 78.
She died at her home in Oxford, Maryland, surrounded by family during the weekend of the Phillips family’s traditional Christmas cookie bake—an annual gathering she cherished.
Born March 15, 1946, to Millie and Hugo Phillips, Van Gulick Cooper grew up in Baltimore. She graduated from George Washington University, lived in France and later settled in Alexandria. Her humanitarian work included the Peace Corps and the American Red Cross, and she founded Seniors Living Well.
Van Gulick Cooper joined the Old Presbyterian Meeting House in 1985. A devout Christian, she served the congregation as an elder, teacher, mentor and choir member.
Mary Lee Anderson, executive director of Senior Services of Alexandria, met Van Gulick Cooper through the church and remembered her as an active, vibrant friend committed to helping others.
In 2012, Van Gulick Cooper married Gerry Cooper, a fellow Meeting House congregant and longtime Senior Services of Alexandria board member. The couple devoted many hours to Meals on Wheels, Friends of Guest House and other community efforts.
Her work with the Fund for Alexandria’s Child began in the 1970s. She also served as an emergency-placement foster mother and promoted character education.
A lasting commitment to clean water
As a leader in the Rotary Club of Alexandria, Van Gulick Cooper championed international peace-building and clean-water initiatives. She established the Nancy and Gerry Cooper Water Projects Endowment to support future projects around the world.
She also played a central role in launching Rotary’s regional Walk for Water. Even while undergoing cancer treatment, she helped the event raise more than $30,000 in 2024.
The walk has since been renamed the Nancy Van Gulick Walk for Water.
Alexandria Rotary Club President Jim Carmalt called her an inspirational figure whose extensive contributions touched countless lives and whose commitment to service would continue to influence the club and community.
Music, family and faith
Music was among Van Gulick Cooper’s earliest passions. During high school, she sang with Baltimore’s Phoenix Choir. She also enjoyed traveling, entertaining and spending time with relatives, especially when hosting the family Christmas cookie bake.
Her nephew Robert Phillips said she endured an extraordinarily difficult year fighting cancer. He recalled holding her hand for the final time as she rested peacefully with family nearby during the beloved holiday gathering. He said she left an example of living with justice, kindness and humility.
Van Gulick Cooper is survived by her husband, Gerry Cooper; brother Russ Phillips and his wife, Charlotte; sister-in-law Carol Phillips; nieces Suzannah Baum, Katy Phillips and Holly George; nephews Hank Phillips, Robert Phillips and Bay Phillips; five grandnieces; two grandnephews; and numerous cousins, including Debbie O’Neill, Carol Wallyn and Suzie Mason.
She is also survived by members of the Cooper family, including Steve Cooper and his wife, Donna; Dan Cooper and his wife, Iris; and many Cooper grandchildren, especially Kaiya Cooper. Her brother Roger Phillips died before her.
An interment service was held Jan. 4 at the Church of the Holy Trinity in Oxford. A celebration of life was scheduled for Jan. 25 at 11 a.m. at the Old Presbyterian Meeting House, 321 South Fairfax Street, followed by a reception.
The family requested that memorial contributions in place of flowers support the Nancy and Gerry Cooper Water Projects Endowment, ID E21485, through The Rotary Foundation.
Anderson described Van Gulick Cooper as a remarkable force whose loss to the community was immeasurable.