Florida tennis lost a standout volunteer and player when former WTA tour professional Margie Cooper died on Jan. 4, 2019 at the age of 68 in West Palm Beach, Fla.
“Margie was an amazing tennis player and attorney, said USTA Florida Governance & Meetings Manager Lynne Salus. “She was a highly-ranked junior player and went on to play No. 1 at Rollins College. Margie briefly played on the Virginia Slims [WTA] Tour and competed at Wimbledon, the French Open and the US Open. After the tour she became an accomplished attorney and was a partner at the Jones, Johnson and Stubbs law firm for 42 years.”
A former member of the USTA Florida Board of Directors, Cooper in the 1990s also served on a number of both USTA Florida and USTA national committees. In 1998 she was the recipient of the USTA Florida Merit Award for career recognition of contributions to growing amateur tennis.
“She served on several USTA national committees including Rules and Regulations, Grievance, Adult Competition, Senior Competition, captained many ITF Senior international teams,” Salus said. “In 2013 won the USTA Senior Service Bowl award for her ‘Sportsmanship, Fellowship and Service to Tennis.'”
As a junior she won back-to-back Florida state high school championship titles.
Cooper was raised in a tennis family by her mother, Barbara, who died in 2010. Barbara also served on the USTA Florida Board of Directors. Together the pair won a state mother-daughter title, and the Coopers were one of the first families to win the USTA Florida Family of the Year award.
Funeral services will be held on Monday, Jan. 21 at 4 p.m. at Quattlebaum Funeral Home, 5411 Okeechobee Blvd., in West Palm Beach. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Rollins College and earmarked for women’s tennis.
