LLEWELLYN WATSON COOPER
1936-2020
Llewellyn Watson Cooper died on July 20, 2020, after a long and valiant battle with Parkinson’s disease. Llewellyn was born on March 29, 1936 in Raymondville, Texas, to Dale and Lee Ellen Watson. She grew up in Lasara, Texas, where her family ran the town’s general store and gas station, the hub of the small farming community. She graduated from Raymondville High School in 1954, alongside her beloved twin sister Lee Ellen.
She attended Texas Women’s University, graduating with a BS in Art Education in 1958. While at TWU she was named the Redbud Queen, Fort Worth Mardi Gras Queen and Air Force Sweetheart at Texas A&M. She was a national Maid of Cotton and Aggie Sweetheart finalist.
During her trips to Texas A&M, she met soon-to-be husband James Cooper. They wed on August 16, 1958 at Raymondville’s First Baptist Church, the same church where her parents married.
Llewellyn and James began their married life in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois, where James was completing his PhD. Llewellyn worked as a geological draftsman on staff with the University of Illinois. While in Champaign Urbana, she also modeled professionally and worked as a freelance artist. Their first child, Carter, was born there.
Relocating their small family to New York for James’ career, James and Llewellyn lived in Manhasset where two more children, John and Catherine, were born.
In 1974, Llewellyn and James happily moved their family back to their home state of Texas, settling in Houston’s Bunker Hill Village where Llewellyn founded her design firm, Llewellyn Cooper Interior Design which she ran until recent years. She served as president of the Gulf Coast Chapter of American Society of Interior Designers and on the board of the Houston Grand Opera. She was also very involved with the Houston Symphony and the Texas Education Council.
Llewellyn relished time with children and grandchildren, all of whom live nearby in Houston. She will be remembered by many as the consummate hostess whose hospitality made everyone feel welcome and celebrated. She was fiercely loyal to friends and devoted to her maltipoo Chloe. Her Sunday school class at Tallowood Baptist Church was a source of both friendship and spiritual nourishment.
Llewellyn was preceded in death by her parents and her husband James, with whom she celebrated 60 years of marriage before losing him suddenly in 2018. They were inseparable, splitting their time between Houston and their Streetman ranch. Of all the travel they did, her favorite spot was Isleboro, the island off the coast of Maine where the family summered for many years.
She is survived by her twin sister Lee Ellen Simpson and her younger brother Harland Watson; her son Carter Cooper and wife Tamela and grandsons Jonathan, Tyler and Jack; son John Cooper and wife Kristi; and by her daughter Catherine King and husband Geoff and grandchildren Cooper, Carter and Charlotte.
Her family and friends remember how she embodied beauty—through her elegant style and inimitable updo; her gracious transformation of spaces; and most importantly, the way she poured herself freely into their lives as a devoted mother, grandmother, aunt and friend.
Due to the pandemic, a private family burial will be held in Streetman.
In lieu of flowers, please donate to your own place of worship, as a way of honoring the important role faith played in Llewellyn’s life.