Juanita Boyd Cooper, a resident of the District of Columbia for more than seven decades, passed quietly away on Saturday, May 23rd, 2026. Juanita was born in Orangeburg, South Carolina, on July 3rd, 1928. Despite living elsewhere, she considered Orangeburg "home." She was a beloved daughter of Ezekiel Benjamin Boyd and Pansy Scoville Boyd, a middle child in a family of six sisters. She attended Felton Elementary Training School and graduated from Wilkinson High School, both in Orangeburg. She was a 1948 magna cum laude graduate of HBCU, Claflin College.

Following graduation, Juanita began a career as a high school teacher in South Carolina and Georgia. In 1952, she moved to Washington, DC, where she met, and married, William (Hoody) Cooper in 1955. They had four children.

"Miss Juanita" had a finger in every pie. She loved, and led her family, both immediate and extended. She was a presence in the local Civic Association for more than 60 years. She was a member of Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ, where she was active in several church clubs. Juanita was also a leader in the larger Congregational Church, where she held positions at the local and regional levels. She was a profoundly proud graduate of Claflin University. Above all, she was a loving and generous parent, family member, and friend.

Juanita began a career with the federal government in 1952. She worked for both the Department of the Interior and the Department of Energy. Her career began as a secretary, typical for women in the 1950s, but ability and her zeal for excellence soon found her advancing administratively. She was an Equal Opportunity Counselor and became the first female minority Management Analyst in the Department of the Interior. She received numerous awards for excellence in work and for her creativity in resolving management differences. Juanita retired after 30 years of service.

She couldn't retire just once! She joined the National Association of Practical Nurses Education and Services (NAPNES) when a neighbor requested help, and she found herself spending more and more time there, learning computer skills, and becoming the Assistant Editor of its professional journal.

Juanita was preceded in death by her parents, five sisters, and two sons-in-law, Christopher Jones and Michael Scales. She is survived by a sister, Verdelle Boyd Jones, of Woolwich, New Jersey and a Sister-in-law, Grace Lamothe, of Silver Spring, Maryland. Her husband, "Hoody," died in 1992.

She leaves, in loving memory, her children, Beverly Cooper-Wiele (Jonathan), of Boston, Massachusetts, William B. Cooper, of Trappe, Maryland, Muriel Cooper Jones, of Capital Heights, Maryland, and Jennifer Cooper Scales, of Landover, Maryland. Her grandchildren, Michael Scales, Jeremy Scales, Barrington Cooper (Arielle), Charles Cooper (Siera), Adam Cooper (Chinaza), Myles Jones, Thomas Cooper, Lillian Cooper, Destinee Scales, and Royal Scales, will always remember the many lessons, nursery rhymes, and countless recordings of "The Sound of Music" Juanita furnished, which will be passed on to her six great grandchildren.

Juanita also leaves scores of extended family, special friends the late Sandra Burrus, Countess Clarke Cooper, Nadine Makala, and numerous friends from every organization in which she served.

In lieu of flowers, please consider contributing to Plymouth Congregational United Church of Christ in Washington, DC, or Claflin University, in Orangeburg, South Carolina.

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