Two Very Odd Death Certificates...missing remains - and the man in charge of the Ashes ....Help find William Cooley!

I have both my father's and my grandfather's death certificates.

There are many oddities. Apart from the fact that they were both cremated, both had the same name, and both died at the age of 41 ( or so it seems).
There are errors on both death certificates.
The most blatant one being the wrong date of birth on William M Cooley's Sr death certificate.

Also both father and son's bodies records of final rest lead to the road to nowhere( in other words missing)

Before taking a look at my grandfather's death certificate - it is interesting to note that he was a nationally known church architect by the name of William M Cooley. Here is the Chicago Herald Tribune article of his death. Please note the address of death (480 Eton), age(41) , and location of death . . .


Please note that my father's name is spelled wrong in 1966 on the obituary.
I find that odd -because my father would die at the exact same age as his grandfather - under mysterious circumstances. . .


Now let's take a look at the copy of the official birth certificate from Lake County Illinois.
Here are the list of the oddities found in my grandfather's death certificate.

*Note that the date of birth is March 4 1905.
That would have made my grandfather 61 - not 41 as the Chicago Herald Tribune article claims.

*According to the Social Security Death records the date of birth of the William Cooley with social security 351-14-5481 is February 6. 1925 - not March 4, 1905.




*It is interesting to note that my father's date of birth was indeed March 4 - yet not in 1905 . Please note that when looking at my father's death certificate( second one)
*Also note the place of death/hospital/on the upper hand corner are blurred out.
It is illegible - and has been crossed out with a typewriter.
According to the deeds/vital statistics they have never seen anything like that - and whoever wanted to cover it up did a pretty good job at doing so.
*Also note if served in the Armed Forces. IT clearly says no - yet then it says under year served it says - '66.
Now the man in charge of my dad's ashes, and who lives currently in my grandfather's house... is ex Air Force - and my great grandfather Harry Cooley did work for the Department of Defense. Please see Harry Cooley underneath.
The question is was my grandfather the architect who came from a family of masons, engineers, and military - a government employee?
My father also attended military schools in his youth.
*No autopsy? In the news paper article it clearly states a car accident. He was cremated?
Cremations were very rare in those days...
*Also note the place of death - it says he died at work. According to the Herald Tribune Article it says he died driving a car. . .?


Please note my grandfather's documents from the American Institute of Architects....
It clearly states that his date of birth was Feb 7, 1925 - not March 4 1901 as in the OFFICIAL death certificate. . .



Now onto William Mack Cooley Jr's death certificate. This is my father's death certificate.
He died at the age of 41. Please note his date of birth it is March 4, 1951. The same date of my grandfather's purported birth on the death certificate above.
( Yet remember that the Social Security number has a different date of birth - the actual date of birth of my grandfather Feb )
Also note that my grandfather "died" on a North of Miller Road.
My father's mother's address is a North Miller Road on the death certificate.



Ok now onto 480 Eton Rd.


First I'd like to add that I will be doing a separate blog about where the ashes might be.

However the basics for now.

I called a church in Barrington Illinois. I asked to if there were two William Cooley's.
According to my dad's death certificate and my grandfather's obituary - they were both placed at Barrington United Methodist Church.
When I called I was told there was one William Cooley there.
His date of death was 1992 as was my father's.
Yet what made me freeze was the fact that these receipts had the address of 480 Eton Dr. and they were signed by "wife".
The person living at the 480 Eton Dr. at the time of his death (according to his death certificate) was not my father ( who lived in D.C.) it was my grandfather.
So I asked the church if I could have a copy of the receipts. At first they said yes- then I was told that we would have to wait for the head of the columbaruim committee to get back to me.

My mother and I both called to ask for copies of the receipts - and to inquire if both my dad and grandfather( William Cooley Jr. and Sr. were there.)

We waited ONE month for the head of the Colombaruim Committee to get back to us.

I called again - one month later and was told we still had to wait for B*b Ol*ver to get back to us.

Well, I decided to google B*b Ol*ver - what I discovered made my blood turn cold.

The man in charge of both my father's, and grandfather's ashes at this church where there is just one set of remains
- LIVES at the house of my grandfather - 480 ETON DRIVE !
( please see first death certificate and address on Herald Chicago tribune article).

Not only that there are million dollar businesses *plural* listed with that address - let's take a look . . .



Oddly enough there is also a TAXI company with the same address. . .

Now for even more oddities. Mr. O*liver according to the Book , Voices Of Barrington is a ex navy pilot, an ex American Airlines pilot.
My grandmother's second husband ( the one she married after my grandfather died) was also an American Airlines Pilot.

My great grandfather , Harry Cooley - was a metallurgical engineer for the Army and Department of Defense.


Bob O*liver also a metallurgical engineer - ex air force and is currently living Harry Cooley's son's and grandson's home on 480 Eton in Barrington Ill.

Now all of this could be benign, however - why is this man - in charge of my father's ashes?

B*b Oliver also burns and clears lands.. ..


It is surely unfolding to be quite a mystery . . .

I tried to call Mr. Ol*ver and he hung up the phone one me - and disconnected his answering machine.

Mr. Ol*ver also works for one the largest oil companies in America.


Note the Barrington Illinios phone number....

I called the church yet again to see if's I could obtain those recipets. I was told I had to speak the church's lawyer. I asked for the church's lawyer's name and I was told I could not have it!

So I can not get the recipets b/c B*b O*liver does not want me to have them?


Photo Courtesy Of Police Detective Kann
Only One William Cooley at Barrington Methodist Church
Where is the other? And why is the middle initial wrong?



Now onto both William M Cooley Jr. granfather Harry B Cooley

If you note in the first death certificate of William M Cooley Sr. his mother was a Flora Daboll.
This was Flora Cooley the wife of Harry B Cooley a metallurgical engineer.

Let's take a look at their gravestone's
Here is the gravestone of my great- grandmother Flora D. Cooley



Here is that of my great grandfather Harry Cooley....his resting..as is my great grandmother Flora Cooley is in Chadron Nebraska. . .



According to the American Institute of Architect paper's my grandfather William Cooley grew up in places such as South America and Siberia - why ? Well his father Harry Cooley was an engineer. Not only did he work on the Trans Siberian express - but he also helped form a mining basin for the Soviet Government. According to some sources my father's was left many land deeds. These land deeds would have included mining and oil rich fields.

Here are some of Harry Cooley's and Flora Cooley's immigration records -note my grandfather was only a little boy. Also note Harry Cooley's Chadron Nebraska address.

Now here is a "Secret Passanger List" Note War Department Expense.
You will see Flora Cooley ( she is one year older than Harry) and


Above -
Notice the date of birth of my grandfather - William Cooley is put down as Feb 7 1925 - one day different than his actual date of birth according to his social security number. . .yet on his death certificate his date of birth is WRONG.
Also note on the passenger list the address for Harry and Flora Cooley & William Cooley at age 4 - it is
1241 Granville Avenue Chicago Illinois.
That is the same address my grandfather used on his application to become a member of the
America Institute of Architects . . .
Below is from the Cook County United States Census Harry Cooley, Flora Cooley, And William Cooley ( my grandfather) - note the job is engineer/mining.
I have many of these from different states. ..and different time periods.



And finally WM Cooley :: This would be my great great grandfather. . .