Robert Louis Cooley

b. 26 April 1916, d. October 1993
  • Robert Louis Cooley was born on 26 April 1916 in New York.
  • He was baptized/christened on 12 November 1916 at Zion Lutheran Church in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York, sponsored by Louis Eimer and Katrina Franziska Kammerer.
  • George Henry Cooley and Christiana Franziska Eimer appeared in the US federal census of 1 January 1920 in Niagara Falls, Niagara County, New York, at 446 Twelfth Street living next to Christie's cousin John B. Kammerer.. Other members of the household included Robert Louis Cooley, George Henry Cooley Jr.
  • The following appeared on 9 July 1928 in the Niagara Falls Gazette: Mrs. Katherine F. Eimer, 66 years old, died in Memorial Hospital at 1 o'clock yesterday, a few hours after she had been admitted to the hospital suffering from heart disease. She had been ill only two days.
         Born February 11, 1862, the daughter of John and Elizabeth Kammerer, pioneer residents of Suspension Bridge, Mrs. Eimer lived in this city all her life. In 1883 she was married to Mr. Eimer. Mrs. Eimer was a devoted member of the Zion Lutheran church. She had a wide circle of friends throughout the city.
         Besides her husband, she is survived by one son, Paul F. Eimer, and two daughters, Mrs. Louise E. Guinther and Mrs. Christie E. Cooley, all of this city. Five sisters also survive. They are, Mrs. Margaret Borth, Buffalo; Mrs. Charles O. Ford and Mrs. A. J. Hoffman, of this city; Mrs. Cornelius Frank, Devil's Lake, N. D. and Mrs. Elizabeth Barnett, of Buffalo. There are three grandchildren, George Henry and Robert Louis Cooley and John Paul Guinther, of this city.
         The funeral will be held from the family home, 422 Fifth street, Wednesday afternoon at 2:30 o'clock, the Rev. Herman Brezing of the Zion Lutheran church officiating. Burial will be in Oakwood Cemetery.
  • George Henry Cooley and Christiana Franziska Eimer appeared in the US federal census of 1 April 1930 in Niagara Falls, New York, at 446 Twelfth Street living at the same address as Christie's cousin John B. Kammerer.. Other members of the household included Robert Louis Cooley, George Henry Cooley Jr.
  • The following appeared on 26 August 1932 in the Niagara Falls Gazette: Mr. and Mrs. George H. Cooley and sons, George H., Jr. and Robert L. of Twelfth street, have left for Linden, N. J., where they will join Mr. Cooley's brother, Albert E. Cooley, and his family, for a two-weeks' fishing trip. Mr. Albert Cooley, now city engineer in Linden, was formerly a resident of this city and has many friends here.
  • He married Gertrude Josephine von der Au, daughter of Otto Louis von der Au, on 21 June 1941.
  • The following appeared on 23 June 1941 in The Niagara Falls Gazette: The marriage of Miss Gertrude Josephine von der Au, daughter of Dr. and Mrs. Otto Louis von der Au, of Halliday avenue, St. Louis, Mo., and Mr. Robert Louis Cooley, son of Mr. and Mrs. George H. Cooley of Twelfth street, this city, was solemnized Saturday afternoon at 5 o'clock in the First Unitarian church, St. Louis, with the Rev. Laurance R. Plank officiating before the candlelighted altar banked with palms and woodwardia ferns. Burning tapers tied with greenery marked every other pew on the center aisle. /P/ The bride entered the church on the arm of her father, wearing a gown of frosty white embroidered starched chiffon fashioned with moulded bodice, sweetheart neckline and hort puffed sleeves. The long train terminated the full skirt. A coronet of shirred tulle bordered with seed pearls secured the fingertip tulle veil. She carried white larkspur arranged in a shower bouquet. /P/ The matron of honor, Mrs. Paul Bolcourt, and the bridesmaid, Miss Florence Bauer, wore gowns of similar lines and of the same material as that of the bride. Their Bouquets were of all white summer flowers matching those worn as their floral headdresses. /P/ Mr. George Henry Cooley, of Buffalo, formerly of this city, was his brother's best man and the ushers were Mr. Herbert Morisse, Jr., Mr. Carl Morisse and Mr. Paul Boicourt, all of St. Louis, Mo. /P/ The mother of the bride wore a gown of amethyst lace and Mrs. Cooley, mother of the bridegroom, wore a gown of geranium silk jersey with draped bodice and floorlength pleated skirt. Each wore a corsage of gardenias and stephonotis. /P/ An informal reception was held in the church parlors with a wedding dinner in the Blue room of the Forest Park hotel. Later in the evening Mr. and Mrs. Cooley left on a trip which includes the Glacier Park, the American and Canadian Rockies, returning home through Lake Louise and Banff. They will make their home in this city. /P/ The bride, a graduate of Harris college in Missouri, received her M.A. degree in English from Columbia university in New York City, and has done further graduate work at the University of Wisconsin. She has been engaged in speech correction work. She was a member of the Missouri Beta chapter of Delta Sigma and of Alphi Phi Sigma, an honorary scholastic Fraternity. /P/ Mr. Cooley, a graduate of the Niagara Falls high school, received his A. B. degree from Niagara University and his M. a. degree in English from Columbia, New York City. He also has done graduate work at the University of Wisconsin. He is a member of the faculty of the Trott Vocational high school, this city.
  • The following appeared on 28 November 1944 in the Niagara Falls Gazette: Robert L. Cooley, son of Mr. and Mrs. George H. Cooley and husband of Mrs. Gertrude A. Cooley, of 446 Twelfth street, has been commissioned a second lieutenant in the Army of the United States after having been graduated from the Signal Corps Officers Candidate school at Fort Monmouth, N. J. Lieutenant Cooley, a graduate of Niagara University, was a former instructor in the Niagara Falls public schools system.
  • The following appeared on 24 December 1951 in the Niagara Falls Gazette: Masonic services and funeral services for Louis Eimer, 90, former city commissioner of charities and oldest member of Niagara Frontier Lodge 132, F and AM, have been arranged at the Bell Funeral chapel.
         Mr. Eimer, who was active until the day before his death, died early yesterday at Memorial hospital after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage on Saturday night.
         Niagara Frontier lodge will hold Masonic services for Mr. Eimer at 7 o'clock tomorrow evening. Funeral services will be held at the Bell chapel at 1:20 p. m. on Wednesday. The Rev. Arthur H. Schmoyer, pastor of the Zion Evangelical Lutheran church where Mr. Eimer had been a long-time member, will conduct the services.
         Mr. Eimer was born in Germany. He came to the United States in 1875 and to Niagara Falls two years later. He joined Niagara Frontier lodge in 1885 and had been an active ember since that time. He had been awarded the 50-year Grand Lodge service medal and the 60-year Masonic palm. He was the oldest living member in the city to hold the latter citation.
         He was also a member of Niagara Chapter 200, Royal Arch Masons; Niagara Commandery 64, Kinights Templar; Woodmen of the World; the old Forty-second Separate company, New York National Guard and the Loyal Order of Moose.
         Mr. Eimer held the city commission for 22 years up until the time of his retirement at the age of 71.
         Surviving are two daughters, MJrs. John Guinther and Mrs. George H. Cooley, Sr; a son, Paul F. Eimer, this city; three grandchildren and eight great-grandchildren.
         Burial will be at the convenience of the family in Oakwood cemetery.
  • The SSDI lists Dunkirk, Chautauqua County, New York, as the last residence of record of Robert Louis Cooley.
  • Robert Louis Cooley died in October 1993 at age 77.
  • Last Edited: 15 Oct 2013

Family: Gertrude Josephine von der Au b. 3 May 1916, d. 21 April 2008