Ken Coop, a devoted husband, father and grandfather, passed away May 16, 2026, at the age of 89. 

Ken was born in Fairfield, Iowa where he and his brother spent their childhood doing farm chores, playing with their cousins, and attending a one-room country school. At 18, Ken joined the U.S. Navy and spent the next four years specializing in air traffic control.

With assistance from the G.I. Bill, he went to Colorado School of Mines where he played football and worked at the Coors brewery. He graduated with a master’s degree in Nuclear Physics from the University of Iowa. He spent the next two years working at Lockheed Palo Alto Research Laboratories and also earned his pilot’s license. 

A chance encounter with an Australian physicist led Ken to the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra where he spent the next three years working toward a PhD in nuclear physics. While at ANU, he met Angela, a fellow doctoral student from England. After graduating, they left Australia, got engaged in Hawaii, and were married in Yorkshire, England in March 1970. 

Ken and Angela moved to Iowa City where he worked as an assistant professor in the radiation research laboratory of the college of medicine at the University of Iowa. In 1974, they settled in White Rock, New Mexico, where they raised their two children. Ken started his career at the Los Alamos National Laboratory working in the health physics group. He moved into the Advanced Nuclear Technology Group (NIS-6) in 1983 where his primary work involved the research and development of instruments for nuclear waste assay and nuclear safeguards. Ken retired from LANL in 1997 and continued as a consultant until 2002, specializing in non-destructive assay of safeguards accountable nuclear materials. 

Ken enjoyed trout fishing, hiking, reading, playing bridge, listening to the jazz pianist Erroll Garner, and in his younger years skiing and camping with his family and friends. He was known for his selflessness, steadiness, integrity, and intellect. His dedication to his wife and family was unwavering. Ken had a lot of fun traveling with his wife, especially back to Australia to see old friends and spend time in his favorite places. He also loved visiting his children in Colorado and California.  

Ken was proceeded in death by his father, Roy, his mother, Gladys, his brother, Richard, and sister, Katherine. He is survived by his wife Angela, his two children Jonathan and Christiana, his daughter-in-law Beth, and his two grandsons, Eli and David.

To remember Ken in the way he would have appreciated, his family encourages you to go enjoy a hike on one of our local trails. 

Rivera Funeral Home of Los Alamos is grateful to have served the Coop family at this
time.