Troy D. Cooper dies of injuries from I.E.D.

Troy Cooper faced his role in the military as he lived life at home - fearlessly.

"He wasn't afraid of anything," said Janet Cooper, Troy's mother, amid tears. "He was my daredevil."

A framed photograph of the soldier now stands on the family's coffee table, a reminder of his life and sacrifice.

Troy Cooper, a 21-year-old Army private from Amarillo, died Sunday after a roadside bomb exploded near his vehicle in Balad, Iraq.

To those who knew him, Troy also will be remembered as an energetic, somewhat ornery and "awfully good" boy, his mother said Tuesday.

He grew up on the outskirts of Amarillo and attended River Road Independent School District. Always active, Troy enjoyed everything from fishing to softball to playing in the high school band, his mother said.

In January, Troy enlisted in the U.S. Army. He was deployed to Iraq on Oct. 4.

"Troy was very proud of what he was doing. You could hear the pride in his voice when he called home," said Weldon Cooper, Troy's father. "He made up his mind that he wanted to be a soldier, and he made a good one."

Despite his rowdy nature, Troy had a good spirit, said his widow, Leslie.

"He was a great husband and a great friend," she said. "He was soft-hearted and very kind. He would just light up the room."

Leslie and Troy Cooper married on April 26, after what she called a "wonderful whirlwind romance." The two met while working at Olive Garden Italian Restaurant in Amarillo.

Troy also was a devout Christian, his father said, and had once planned to become a youth minister.

"The instant we heard he was gone, we knew he was in heaven," said Weldon Cooper. "He definitely loved the Lord."

Memorial services for Troy Cooper are pending with Boxwell Brothers Funeral Directors in Amarillo.

The soldier was assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 82nd Field Artillery Regiment, 3rd Brigade, 1st Cavalry Division out of Fort Hood.

From the Globe