"Sheldon Cooper, a member of the founding family of the law firm Cooper, White and Cooper and a prominent San Francisco businessman, died yesterday after a short illness. Mr. Cooper, 86, who earned a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Berkeley, joined his father's law firm in 1930 after graduating from Harvard Law School. 'Sheldon Cooper was a giant in the San Francisco community,' Robert Raymer, senior partner at Cooper, White and Cooper, said yesterday. 'Generations of lawyers and clients were fortunate to call upon him not only for wise counsel, but as a devoted friend and confidant. He was loved and respected by all.' As a senior partner with Cooper, White and Cooper, Mr. Cooper was general counsel to The Chronicle Publishing Co., which is the parent company of The San Francisco Chronicle, KRON-TV and other media properties. He served for many years on the board of directors of Chronicle Publishing and also as its chairman. 'Everyone who worked with Sheldon Cooper benefited greatly from both his good judgement and good humor,' said Richard Thieriot, editor and publisher of The Chronicle. Mr. Cooper was well-known in San Francisco business and social circles. His first wife, Patricia Tobin, was the daughter of Joseph Oliver Tobin, a distinguished businessman, and Constance de Young Tobin. Patricia Tobin was also the granddaughter of M. H. de Young, co-founder of The Chronicle. The 1938 wedding of Sheldon Cooper and Patricia Tobin at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Burlingame was considered a highlight of the social season. 'He was truly a great friend---warm witty, and a pillar of strength at all times,' said Nan Tucker McEvoy, a cousin of Patricia Tobin's and current chairman of the board of Chronicle Publishing. During World War II, Mr. Cooper rose to the rank of major in the Army Air Corps. Over the years, he served as a director of a number of major companies, including Continental Airlines, Hibernia Bank, Pacific Lighting, Allied Properties and California-Western States Life Insurance Co. Mr. Cooper also served as a trustee and member of the board of the M. H. de Young Memorial Museum. He headed a fund-raising campaign for the Red Cross and served on its board of directors. He was a member of the Pacific-Union Club, the Burlingame Country Club, the Merchants Exchange and the French Club. Several years after Patricia Tobin Cooper's death in 1976, Mr. Cooper married Elizabeth Folger Miller, a philanthropist and a benefactor of the San Francisco Opera. The couple divided their time between homes in San Francisco and Hillsborough. Mr. Cooper is survived by his wife, Elizabeth; step-children Paul, Marian and Robert Miller; and nieces Katherine Poth and Nancy Ditzler. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at St. Catherine's Catholic Church in Burlingame. Interment will be private. Contributions may be made to the Little Sisters of the Poor, St. Anne's Home, 300 Lake Street, San Francisco 94118."
San Francisco Chronicle 21 Nov 1990, pg. A6