Jeffrey Cooper

The five pictures on Jeff’s quilt square represent unique experiences that shaped his life, and reflect who he was. When he was around thirteen he spent some time at Lost Trail Camp. On a pack trip he experienced the wonders of climbing a mountain and sleeping under the stars. After graduating from high school he went back to Lost Trail and worked as a trail hand for the same pack-trip outfitter. After the camp closed he stayed on for a couple of years taking hunters and fishermen on wilderness adventures. It was on one of those that he bagged his own elk, and sent home 85 lbs of steaks and elk-burg. Though a hunter of small game at 14, deer hunting became his primary interest. Later, he and a friend bought some land in upstate New York; Jeff fell in love with making maple syrup. Starting out boiling the sap over an open fire, he moved on to a sugar shack, a stainless steel evaporator, and labeled jugs. Growing up Jeff never showed any interest in carpentry; but once he became a home owner, he began tackling needed improvements. From primitive beginnings he became more than a carpenter; he became an electrician, a plumber, a tile man, whatever was needed. All this first hand experience led to becoming the owner and single employee of JDC CONTRACTING.