I might as well post a copy of his obit here since it talks about his theater
work. – Michael Cooley
Theater Man Dies En Route To Home
McCabe Cooley, 59, manager of the Fruitvale Theater, died of heart attack early today as he attempted to question a man he apparently believed to be loitering near his home.
The cause of Cooley’s death was determined by a corner’s [sic] autopsy this morning as police sought a mystery man who roared away in a car immediately after Cooley collapsed on a lawn in front of 2417 Montana St.
For a time, police thought Cooley might have been the victim of a robbery attack that caused a fatal heart seizure. Cooley had a long history of heart trouble.
The license number of the mystery man’s car was supplied by Mrs. Dora Dana, 45, of the Montana St. address, who told police she saw that what she believed to be a fight between Cooley and the attacker.
The car’s owner, however, a 28-year-old teamster, told officers that Cooley approached him as he parked his car near his home and seemed to say something and then collapsed. The teamster told officers he grabbed Cooley and helped him to the lawn and then fled in panic, because he had been drinking. He was released.
Six youths seized at the scene when they cruised by acting suspiciously were still being held for questioning today, since a loaded .22 caliber pistol was found in the possession of one of them.
Cooley, who lived at 3321 Flagg St., was employed by the firm which owns Fruitvale Theater for almost 20 years. He is survived by his wife, Lilas.
Cooley’s fatal heart attack occurred as he was returning home after locking up the theater shortly after midnight.
I don’t I have my cousins' memories of the theatre. Perhaps my father didn’t
take us often. All I remember is sitting outside the theatre in the car
while my grandfather came out to visit. I was in the back, on the passenger
side, when he asked me to roll down the window. He then reached in and
pulled the hair on my arm. He and dad thought it was very funny.
I just found a photo of the theatre at another website. Cinema Treasures
isn’t accepting uploads right now so I put it on the website I have for
Grandpa Cooley: http://ancestraldata.com/ahnentafel/4/ along with a couple
of obituaries.
My grandfather, McCabe Cooley, was the manager of the Fruitvale Theatre when he died one night after work of a heart attack in 1958. I can’t be certain, but I believe my father once told me that it was owned by Pacific Theatres. A distant cousin recently sent a movie pass to me, probably from about 1942-45, for the Laurel Theater, which was given to her grandmother and signed by my grandfather while he was manager there. I see no mention of it anywhere so it must be long gone. The address on the pass is 3814 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland, CA. My guess is that it was also a Pacific theatre.
I might as well post a copy of his obit here since it talks about his theater
work. – Michael Cooley
Theater Man Dies En Route To Home
McCabe Cooley, 59, manager of the Fruitvale Theater, died of heart attack early today as he attempted to question a man he apparently believed to be loitering near his home.
The cause of Cooley’s death was determined by a corner’s [sic] autopsy this morning as police sought a mystery man who roared away in a car immediately after Cooley collapsed on a lawn in front of 2417 Montana St.
For a time, police thought Cooley might have been the victim of a robbery attack that caused a fatal heart seizure. Cooley had a long history of heart trouble.
The license number of the mystery man’s car was supplied by Mrs. Dora Dana, 45, of the Montana St. address, who told police she saw that what she believed to be a fight between Cooley and the attacker.
The car’s owner, however, a 28-year-old teamster, told officers that Cooley approached him as he parked his car near his home and seemed to say something and then collapsed. The teamster told officers he grabbed Cooley and helped him to the lawn and then fled in panic, because he had been drinking. He was released.
Six youths seized at the scene when they cruised by acting suspiciously were still being held for questioning today, since a loaded .22 caliber pistol was found in the possession of one of them.
Cooley, who lived at 3321 Flagg St., was employed by the firm which owns Fruitvale Theater for almost 20 years. He is survived by his wife, Lilas.
Cooley’s fatal heart attack occurred as he was returning home after locking up the theater shortly after midnight.
I don’t I have my cousins' memories of the theatre. Perhaps my father didn’t
take us often. All I remember is sitting outside the theatre in the car
while my grandfather came out to visit. I was in the back, on the passenger
side, when he asked me to roll down the window. He then reached in and
pulled the hair on my arm. He and dad thought it was very funny.
I just found a photo of the theatre at another website. Cinema Treasures
isn’t accepting uploads right now so I put it on the website I have for
Grandpa Cooley: http://ancestraldata.com/ahnentafel/4/ along with a couple
of obituaries.
My grandfather, McCabe Cooley, was the manager of the Fruitvale Theatre when he died one night after work of a heart attack in 1958. I can’t be certain, but I believe my father once told me that it was owned by Pacific Theatres. A distant cousin recently sent a movie pass to me, probably from about 1942-45, for the Laurel Theater, which was given to her grandmother and signed by my grandfather while he was manager there. I see no mention of it anywhere so it must be long gone. The address on the pass is 3814 MacArthur Boulevard, Oakland, CA. My guess is that it was also a Pacific theatre.