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Spotsylvania family grew close with Stephanie Kirpes, the UMW graduate killed by lightning early this month Date published: 7/13/2008
BY KAREN BOLIPATA
All the pets in the Cooper household knew when Stephanie Kirpes was around. They'd sprawl out in the hall to wait for Kirpes to emerge from her nap. An unmade mattress sits in the makeshift bedroom now. Her clothes and radio are gone. Kerry Cooper talks about 23-year-old Kirpes as if she were her daughter. In a way, Kirpes was. For seven months, Kirpes worked with 10-year-old Aidan, the Coopers' severely autistic child. In between classes at the University of Mary Washington and commuting home to Woodbridge, Kirpes stayed in that makeshift bedroom in Spotsylvania County. "She was family," Kerry Cooper said recently. Kirpes died July 6 when she was struck by lightning while jogging in Virginia Beach. She is the 14th person in the country to die from a lightning strike this year. Last summer, Kirpes answered the Coopers' online ad to help take care of Aidan, and immediately bonded with the family, Kerry Cooper said. Cooper recognized Kirpes' wisdom and her ability to work through challenges. Somehow, Kirpes knew how to calm Aidan during his outbursts, in a way even Cooper and her husband, Steven, can't. Kirpes played games with Aidan and helped him label things around the house. She took Aidan and his younger brother, Reilly, 8, for rides in the car. Kirpes, a psychology major, tried to apply new methods she learned to Aidan; some of them worked. The Coopers soon noticed a change in their 10-year-old. He smiled more and acted out less. Even the pets were drawn to Kirpes, who was passionate about animals and took in a blind cat at her Woodbridge home. In her downtime, Kirpes talked about her plans. She wanted to work with children with special needs, juvenile offenders or people with addictions. "I'm heartbroken she's not going to be the person she was supposed to be," Cooper said. "She was going places." Kirpes often referred to herself as the Coopers' "college daughter." And the Coopers, with two sons and no daughter of their own, were proud of the moniker. In January, Kirpes left her job with the Coopers to intern in Prince William County. She kept in touch, but stayed busy as she prepared to graduate in May. She came back for Reilly's birthday party and last saw the family in March. In an e-mail to Steven Cooper in February, Kirpes wrote: "Let's all get together some time very soon. I would really love that!" She signed it, "Your college daughter." Karen Bolipata 540/374-5418
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