Jean Cooper Anders

Jean Copper Anders was born Nov. 10,
1925, in Wallace, Idaho, to John H. Copper
and Helen Davidson Copper. Jean
grew up in Portland. Her paternal grandfather, Horatio
F. Davidson, owned the Hood River Hotel and large
fruit orchards in Hood River and Jean spent many
summers there learning to play golf and ride horses.
She worked part time for the Union Pacific Railroad
in Portland as a baggage handler during World War
II while in high school. She graduated from Jefferson
High School in 1943 and received the Art Trophy at
graduation, one of only five senior awards given each
year for outstanding achievement.
She married Clarence Jefferies Harris, an officer in
the U.S. Coast Guard, shortly after graduation and
there began a life that would transport her around
the county to various locations. Along the way they
were blessed with three children, John Jeffrey,
Duane Quentin and Diane. The family settled in Juneau
and her children all graduated from high school
there. Jean and CJ divorced and several years later
she married Harley D. Anders.
Jean worked at various jobs during her life. An accomplished
seamstress, she became the assistant fabric
manager at Woodard & Lothrup in Washington,
D.C., at the age of only 29. In Juneau, Jean worked
for the Department of Administration for the State of
Alaska as a computer programmer in the early 1960s.
She worked as a cargo agent for Pacific Northern Airlines
and also for the Alaska Ferry System for a short
time. She got back into computer work and became
an expert in Cobal and Fortran programing. She designed
research programs for National Marine Fisheries
and the Regional Office of the Forest Service in
Juneau.
After her husband’s retirement in 1973, they moved
to the Portland area, where she worked for the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers again in computer programing
for a few years before her own retirement. She and
Anders divorced and she moved to Sequim, Wash., to
be near friends. After a few years she moved to Walla
Walla in 2005, to be near her daughter and granddaughters.
When 9/11 happened she made a batch of
cookies and took them to the Fire Department and
the Police Department in Sequim and told them New
York City was not the only place with heroes. She
made weekly deliveries to both groups the entire time
she was in Sequim and adopted the 12th Avenue firehouse
crew in Walla Walla when she moved here. She
made sure cookies were delivered to each shift so no
one would be left out. She did this for 11 years until
her health prevented her from continuing.
Jean was a 71-year member of the Order of the Eastern
Star.
She is survived by her daughter, Diane Lundstrom
Rice (Charlie); son, John J. Harris (Edwina); granddaughters,
Kathryn Jean Lundstrom, Denise Moore
(James), Victoria Harris, Rebecca (Travis) Bowser;
four great-grandchildren; nieces, Julia Copper Smith,
Laurie Copper Brown; and nephew, Bruce Copper
(Diane). She was preceded in death by her brother,
David; and son, Duane.
At her request there will be no funeral. There will be
a private family burial in Hood River at a later date.
Memorial remembrances can be made to the Walla
Walla Professional Firefighter’s Benevolent Fund or
to the Eastern Star Charities Foundation of Washington