William J. Coopersmith, 88, retired executive

William J. Coopersmith, 88, of Glen Mills and Jupiter, Fla., a retired executive, civic leader, and sportsman, died of cancer Saturday, Feb. 7, at Taylor Hospice Residence in Ridley Park.

A Philadelphia native, he graduated from Villanova College in 1950 and spent a year studying at Georgetown Law School. The world of commerce beckoned, though, so he joined his father, becoming general manager of Great Leopard Super Markets. He operated one of the nation's first supermarkets in the refitted shell of a textile mill in Chester.

As a public gesture, he built a wooden roller rink on the second floor so that children could skate to organ music. On April 21, 1971, in what became known as the Great Leopard Fire, the building went up in flames while 30 children were taking lessons. A child who smelled smoke alerted Mr. Coopersmith, who called police. Still wearing skates, the youngsters stepped carefully down a flight of steps and were ushered safely from the building.

"It was amazing how fast the fire and smoke filled the building," Mr. Coopersmith told the Delaware County Daily Times. The building was later razed.

Under the Great Leopard mantle, Mr. Coopersmith built shopping centers, office complexes, and residential communities from Pennsylvania to Florida.

His corporate staff became so efficient that Mr. Coopersmith was able to devote most of his time to public service. He served on the Pennsylvania Navigation Commission and the Delaware County Prison Board, and was appointed by two governors to the Justice Commission of Pennsylvania.

Mr. Coopersmith also was interested in education. He was an overseer for Delaware Law School and Widener College; a director of the Pennsylvania State University board in Delaware County; and a member of the Neumann College Development Council.

He served as a trustee in bankruptcy cases before the U.S. Eastern District Court for many years. During that time, he taught weekly classes as an adjunct faculty member at Widener University.

Each semester he would take students to U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Philadelphia, at a time when he participated in the proceeding. After court, he would host a lunch so that students could discuss the case. "To the hundreds of Widener students in his classes, the court sessions and luncheons were a highlight of their college years," his family said in a remembrance.

He was a director of the Delaware County Industrial Development Authority and a founder and president of the Business and Professional Association of Western Delaware County. In Chester he was a director of the Greater Chester Movement, chaired the Chester Marine Terminal Authority, and was on the boards of the Housing Development Corporation and the Model Cities Program.

Of his many activities, perhaps his favorite was helping the Bernardine Franciscan Sisters. He was vice chairman of the board of Sacred Heart Medical Center and helped run the Chester Senior Center across from the medical center.

Mr. Coopersmith, one of Delaware County's few Democratic power brokers, was a supporter and friend of President John F. Kennedy and directed his campaign in Chester. He also supported Republican President Ronald Reagan.

On his 60th birthday, Mr. Coopersmith was honored at a luncheon attended by 50 guests at the White House hosted by Delaware County's Faith Whittlesey, who later became ambassador to Switzerland.

He worked on behalf of children, donating the facility for the first children's clinic in Chester, staffed by Crozer Hospital. He also donated a 20-acre park in West Goshen Township with a large all-weather pavilion.

Mr. Coopersmith enjoyed riding motorcycles and was a member of the Harley Owners Group. On his 70th birthday, he purchased a new Harley-Davidson. However, the ocean was his true passion. He owned, raced, and fished from all types of boats - from offshore racers to serious fishing vessels.

Mr. Coopersmith received many awards, including an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters from Neumann University, the Themis Award of the Delaware County Bar Association, and a Law Day Distinguished Service Award from Delaware County Common Pleas Court.

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Patricia McAnall Coopersmith; daughters Wendy Dignazio, Debbie Imperia, and Kathy and Amy; eleven grandchildren; and three great-grandchildren. A son, Jack W. Coopersmith II, died in 2013.

Services were Thursday, Feb. 12.

Donations may be made to Taylor Hospice Residence, 300 Johnson Ave., Ridley Park, Pa. 19078.