Julie M. Cooper

Julie Mayer Cooper, 87, left this earth on Monday, April 21, 2025 to join the love of her life and soulmate, Pete.

Born February 1, 1938, Julie grew up in the Roxborough area of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She attended Roxborough High School and while there, realized a lifelong love of art and painting. She was awarded a full scholarship to the Philadelphia School of Art which she declined to marry her first husband, John Mayer. But art remained a staple during her entire life. She painted abstract art up until her death and shared her love of painting with her beloved granddaughter, Brenna. Neither of her children were artistic in that way so when she perched her granddaughter at her easel at age 5 and she took a liking to it, she felt proud she’d made another art lover. She was very generous with her paintings, giving many away to friends and people she had an affinity for or who helped her in some way. She was sometimes generous to a fault.

She was motivated, strong, and independent and at age 40 decided to go to college to earn a degree. She worked full-time while proudly attending the University of South Carolina in Columbia nearly finishing before her daughter who was in college at the same time. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and proudly wore her Carolina ring.

She loved the city skyline and city life and always looked to the Columbia skyline to remind her of home. She was considered a dreamer and constantly had ideas of projects with her entrepreneurial spirit. She even purchased property with the idea of building condos within view of the Columbia city skyline to remind her of her hometown skyline. Her soulmate forever allowed her to dream big and supported her every endeavor no matter how big or small. She created and opened her own business in the ‘80s being one of the first premiere nail salons in Columbia at that time. Accent Your Nails was one of her proudest accomplishments and she grew it successfully for many years.

Julie loved people and loved having company in her home. Anyone and everyone was welcome at her house and at her table and invited if they had nowhere to go for a holiday. Julie was a friend to many and kept friendships for decades. She would stand for hours over the stove stirring her “gravy” making the family recipe of spaghetti and meatballs for all to enjoy telling them to “mangia” when it was ready.

She and her soulmate Pete were complete opposites but it somehow worked for 55 years. They would hop in his Corvette and drive to Shem Creek outside of Charleston just to have dinner and watch the sunset. He was so proud of her and she of him with his career as a city firefighter. She spent the last two years of his life devotedly caring for him as he succumbed to dementia. It was her goal to keep him in their favorite home while he declined. He left her and this earth eight months ago and she was never the same after.

She had a wonderful sense of humor and loved having fun with all her friends. She was always up for a good time with those friends and cherished those long term friendships.

She is survived by her two children, Vickie Mayer Turnage, and Douglas John Mayer, her daughter-in-law Elizabeth Mayer, and grandchildren who were her everything, Brenna Ashley Mayer, and Carter Anderson Mayer. She also leaves behind two brothers, Ralph Costello (Eddy), Paul Costello and a sister Elaine Woltemate (Eddie) and nieces and nephews and cousins whom she loved dearly. She loved her precious pup, Penny, who stayed by her side and in her lap and two grand dogs. She would say…I love you as high as the sky and as deep as the ocean. 

Thank you to her friends Patricia Kelley and Pansy Wright for caring for her and to St. Croix Hospice.

A private burial will be held as she is interred at Ft. Jackson National Cemetery with her “angel pie”. 

In lieu of flowers, you may make donations in her memory to Final Victory Animal Rescue or an Art League of your choice.