Friends celebrate Sam and Diane Cooper

Friends and colleagues of former Rehoboth Beach Mayor Sam Cooper came out to celebrate at the Village Improvement Association Nov. 5.

Cooper, accompanied by his wife Diane, was honored for his 35 years of service to the city and was in an ebullient mood throughout the event.

“It’s kind of overwhelming,” Cooper said. He said it was antithetical to him to be so honored, but he was grateful to those who took time out of their Sunday afternoon to come to the event.

Among the colleagues who came out were former City Manager Greg Ferrese, and the two shared a hug and reflected on spending 30 years working together. Cooper also traded words with Lewes Mayor Ted Becker, and former and current commissioners such as Bill Sargent, Lorraine Zellers, Patrick Gossett and Toni Sharp.

The event was informal in nature, with nearly 50 guests. Brief speeches were made by the Coopers with additional words from Zellers and water department head Howard Blizzard. RYAN MAVITY PHOTOS