{{Short description|British Church of England priest}} {{About||the Ohio murder victim|Murders of Annette Cooper and Todd Schultz}} {{Infobox Christian leader | type = priest | honorific_prefix = The Reverend | name = Annette Cooper | title = Archdeacon of Colchester | image = | image_size = | alt = | caption = | diocese = Diocese of Chelmsford | term = 2004–2018 | predecessor = Martin Wallace | successor = | other_post = Acting Archdeacon of Stansted (2013)<br />House of Bishops Regional Representative for East Anglia (2013–2016) <!---------- Orders ----------> | ordination = 3 July 1988 (deacon) <br /> by David Bartleet <br /> 31 May 1994 (priest) <br /> by Patrick Harris | ordained_by = | consecration = | consecrated_by = <!---------- Personal details ----------> | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1953|11|15|df=y}} | buried = | denomination = Anglican | residence = Witham, Essex | parents = Harry Whitaker & Grace Whitaker | spouse = {{marriage|Andrew Cooper|1972}} | children = 2 | occupation = | profession = Social work | education = | alma_mater = }} '''Annette Joy Cooper''' (born 15 November 1953) is a retired British Church of England priest. She was the Archdeacon of Colchester (in the Diocese of Chelmsford) from 2004 until 2018.
==Early life== Cooper was born on 15 November 1953, the daughter of Harry Whitaker and Grace (née Parnham, later James). She was educated at Lilley and Stone Girls' High School, then an all-girls grammar school in Newark-on-Trent.<ref name="Who's Who 2015" />
From 1979 to 1988, Cooper worked as a social worker. In 1980, she completed a Bachelor of Arts degree from the Open University. She gained a number of social work qualifications, including a Certificate of Qualification in Social Work (CQSW) and, in 1985, a Diploma in Social Work (DipSW). She left her first vocation upon ordination.<ref name="Who's Who 2015" />
==Ordained ministry== Having trained with the Southwark Ordination Course, Cooper was ordained a deacon on 3 July 1988 at Rochester Cathedral by David Bartleet, Bishop of Tonbridge.<ref>{{Church Times | title = Ordinations: Rochester | archive = 1988_07_08_013 | issue = 6543 | date = 8 July 1988 | page = 13 | accessed = 30 October 2015 }} — ''nb:'' since Cooper went to Pembury in 1988, one may safely assume that "A. Joy" is a typographical error for Cooper.</ref> She then became a non-stipendiary minister at St Peter, Pembury and simultaneously a full-time assistant chaplain in the Tunbridge Wells health authority until 1991.<ref name="Who's Who 2015" /> From 1991 to 1996, she was a full-time chaplain at Bassetlaw Hospital.<ref name="Who's Who 2015" /> On 31 May 1994, she was ordained a priest by Patrick Harris (the then Bishop of Southwell) at St Anne's Church, Worksop; 1994 was the first year that women were able to be priested in the Church of England.<ref>{{Church Times | title = Ordinations: Southwell | archive = 1994_06_10_005 | issue = 6852 | date = 10 June 1994 | page = 5 | accessed = 30 October 2015 }}</ref>
In 1996, Cooper moved to become priest-in-charge of St Mary's, Edwinstowe, where she was also a chaplain at Center Parcs Sherwood Forest (until 2000), area dean of the Worksop deanery (from 1999) and an honorary canon of Southwell Minster (from 2002).
In 2004, Cooper became Archdeacon of Colchester in the Diocese of Chelmsford, in which role she was also made an honorary canon of Chelmsford Cathedral. When her archdeaconry was split on 1 February 2013, she became (additionally) Acting Archdeacon of Stansted until the first incumbent of that post (Robin King) was collated on 15 September 2013.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20140130025734/http://www.chelmsford.anglican.org/areas-and-bishops/newarchdeaconries Diocese of Chelmsford – Archdeaconries in the Diocese of Chelmsford] (Accessed 30 October 2015)</ref>
During 2013, Cooper was elected by and from among the female "senior priests" of the East Anglia region to attend meetings (as 'participant observers') of the House of Bishops as one of eight Regional Representatives, as an interim measure until six women sit in the House by right.<ref>[https://www.churchofengland.org/media-centre/news/2013/10/final-list-of-female-representatives-to-house-of-bishops.aspx Church of England – Final list of female representatives to House of Bishops] (Accessed 5 December 2013)</ref> She served until that arrangement was ended in December 2016.
Cooper retired during November 2018.<ref>[https://www.chelmsford.anglican.org/news/article/archdeacon-annette-cooper-will-retire-in-november Diocese of Chelmsford — Cooper will retire in November] (Accessed 11 May 2018)</ref>
==Personal life== In 1972, the then Annette Whitaker married Andrew Cooper. Together, they have two sons and four grandchildren.<ref name="Who's Who 2015">{{cite web|title=COOPER, Ven. Annette Joy|url=http://www.ukwhoswho.com/view/article/oupww/whoswho/U44374|website=Who's Who 2015|publisher=Oxford University Press|accessdate=16 November 2015|date=November 2014}}</ref>
==Styles== *1988–2002 & 2018–present: ''The Reverend'' Annette Cooper *2002–2004: ''The Reverend'' Canon Annette Cooper *2004–2018: ''The Venerable'' Annette Cooper
==References== {{Reflist}}
==Sources== *{{Who's Who | title=Cooper, Annette Joy | id = U44374 | volume = 2015 | edition = November 2014 online | access-date = 30 October 2015 }} {{s-start}} {{s-rel|en}} {{s-bef|before=Martin Wallace}} {{s-ttl|title=Archdeacon of Colchester|years=2004–2018}} {{s-non|reason=Ruth Patten}} {{s-end}} {{Archdeacons of Colchester}} {{Diocese of Chelmsford}} {{Authority control}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2016}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Cooper, Annette Joy}} Category:1953 births Category:Living people Category:20th-century English Anglican priests Category:21st-century English Anglican priests Category:Archdeacons of Colchester