Alice Lee (Curley) Cooper

“That light that has been given to me I desire to pass undimmed to others”

Alice Lee (Curley) Cooper known by her preferred name “Lee” passed away peacefully on April 12, 2026, at the age of 95 surrounded by her 3 daughters - Ginny, Peggy and Barbara and her niece Cindy – and skillfully and compassionately cared for by the staff of Bristol Glen.

She was born in Montclair NJ to Spencer Curley and Virginia (Smith) Curley. She graduated from Montclair High School and attended Cazenovia Jr College in upstate NY. She went on to earn a degree in Physical Therapy from Columbia University in NYC. She married John H. Cooper at the First Congregational Church in Montclair and they had 3 daughters - Virginia Lee Cooper Horridge, Margaret Alice Cooper Daly, and Barbara Glen Cooper Malanga. The family resided at 16 Rockledge Place in Cedar Grove and forged strong connections to the neighborhood and the community.

After separating from her husband, she returned to school and earned a degree in Nursing from Mountainside School of Nursing at the age of 50 and worked as a school nurse at a school for children and adults with cerebral palsy.

Lee loved the great outdoors like her father. She enjoyed traveling with her brother Dwight and sister-in-law Gwen; with the highlight of their travels being a 3 month trip to Alaska where they were joined by her dear friends Barbara and Warren McDermott.

Lee spent her last years at Bristol Glen – a methodist community in Newton NJ where the staff and residents enjoyed her feistiness and humor. She was known for her skill at completing jigsaw puzzles and she pulled out all the stops on holidays by donning hats and decorating her door. She kept the staff on their toes often telling them how to take a blood pressure correctly, or stories of her days in the nursing profession.

She was a daughter, a sister, a wife, a mother, an aunt, a grandmother, and a great grandmother. She was also a neighbor, a friend, a nurse, a camp director, a caregiver, a patient, and a confidant and mentor. But perhaps her biggest legacy is found in the roles she played as the faithful steward and matriarch of Nyoda Girls Camp.

Nyoda was founded by Lee’s grandmother and grandfather in 1917 to provide girls with outdoor learning, character building, and leadership skills, and Lee was an embodiment of one of its central tenants - Work Health and Love (Wo-He-Lo). She attended Nyoda as a camper, served as a swimming counselor and as Head Counselor, and became Camp Director when her grandmother Lee G. Smith (Chi-Woo) stepped down and passed the torch to her. She held that position for more than 30 years. She went on to serve as Camp Nurse in the later years where she cared for the campers with compassion and humor. Many a young girl learned to swallow pills at one of Lee’s “Pill Clinics”. She and her brother Dwight have guided Nyoda’s path as Board members until stepping down in 2024.

The strength, honesty, thoughtfulness, and humor she brought to each of these roles was an inspiration to her family and friends and to more than one generation of young women who spent time at Nyoda. She quietly (and sometimes not so quietly) encouraged you to be present, to be more, to be honest with yourself, and to laugh.

Although we grieve her passing, we celebrate the end of her struggles and believe she has gone ahead to the loving arms of God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you for gathering with us at Nyoda on May 23rd to celebrate Lee’s long and meaningful life.

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