Caleb Victor Kee Cooper, “COOP”, age 35, of Butte, MT, passed away on March 5, 2023, of unknown causes.
Caleb graduated from Corvallis High School and had various jobs. He was a member of the Salish Kootenai Tribe.
Caleb left behind many loved ones. He had a heart of gold and a beautiful soul. Caleb would always go above and beyond to do right by his loved ones. He and his best friend, Brittany, were inseparable.
Caleb loved being a dad and uncle to many.
Caleb is preceded in death by his grandparents, Francis and Jacque Cleland; Aunt, Rhinda Smith; brother, Henry Barnaby; sister, Alta (Mitzy) Barnaby; and cousin, Frances Cleland.
Caleb is survived by his mother, Melody Collier of Deer Lodge, MT; father, Leo Barnaby of Pablo, MT; brothers Clayton and Calvin Cleland of Butte, MT and Leo Barnaby Jr. of Pablo, MT; sisters Stefani Cooper of Helena, MT, Jordan Collier of Butte, MT, Shanna Cooper of Helena, MT, and Raenelle Barnaby of Pablo, MT; and his children, AJ, Levi, Jericho, Stefan, Debranna, Macylynn, Presley, Zayden, Dominic, Davina, Demi, and Ania, all of Butte, MT.
Please visit below to offer the family a condolence or to share a memory of Caleb.
Axelson Funeral and Cremation Services has been privileged to care for Caleb and his family.
Nicole says
Caleb made a huge impact on my life and I’m going to miss him so much! He was the best uncle a girl could as for. And one of the most important people in my life. Nothing will be the same without him here on earth but I know he will be watching down on everyone he loves. I love you Uncle Coop! So so so much and I’m gonna miss you forever. Until we meet again Rest in Paradise ❤️
Shaydean Fargo says
Caleb was a amazing person he’s helped me out a lot during some dark times he was one of the most caring person I’ve ever met RIP you’ll be missed and your loved by many my heart goes out to his family
Moreno Tammy says
COOP, you are already missed sooo very much. I especially miss waking up to your lyrical Geniusnes and poetry you always shared and the messages of musical lyrics from your favorite rap artist that you would send me at 3 an while I was working. This world truly lost an amazing man when you left us. Tell my mom hello from me and keep her company k. Love you SUPER COOPER.
Teona says
When you were staying with us and a kitten fell through the celling. !! Hahaha “are you kitten me” bj says.
You were so clumsy at times. So I figured you tripped over something, but I was wrong. Lmfao 🤣
Love you my friend can’t believe you are gone! You are going to be missed by many. Not to many people like you anymore.
Dirty says
About a week before he passed I had been thinking non-stop about Caleb out of nowhere. I hadn’t thought about the sick and twisted abuse he put me through when we were kids for like 15 years, so when I went to look him up and found out he had died a week prior I felt angry because he had completely avoided any form of accountability.
I don’t know who in his family abused this kid, but Caleb was one of the most tortured souls I’ve ever met and he took his pain out on me for years. Whatever they did to Caleb, he did to me. I would wake up and vomit every day because I knew he’d be at school waiting to physically harm me by pinching my skin or my collar bone, punching me, kicking me, pulling my hair until it ripped out of my head, twisting my arm behind my back, giving me friction burns on my arms, stabbing me with pencils, breaking my stuff because he wanted it, ripping my clothes, and/or verbally degrading me. Every. day. FOR. YEARS. “Oh he’s just flirting with you, he likes you,” said the adults who had no clue I used to write about ending my life at 12 almost exclusively because of Caleb’s cruelty. I would go home covered in bruises, he would go home covered in scratch marks.
No one took it seriously until he got caught open-handed slapping me in the breasts, throwing my backpack down a flight stairs, and then attempting to push me down after. All I remember is shrieking for help and thinking I was about to die. It took my mother threatening to sue before the school acted and he downgraded exclusively to public displays of verbal abuse through high school until he disappeared, but not before signing my ’04 high school yearbook, “I hate you even more now, f*****g die, dirty Jewish hoe” in giant red marker across the entire inside cover. I still have that book 20 years later, but I’ll never be able to share it with my family because of him.
I know now the reason he was completely obsessed with calling me “dirty” was because of the bullying aimed towards him about his own skin color and heritage. I wish I could let him know I understand he made my life a living hell because his was. I don’t forgive him, but I get it. I don’t know if he spent his later years being a kinder person, but I can see the pain, anger, and darkness clearly stayed with him. I’ll never know if talking to him as an adult would have helped either of us, but if you know who is responsible for abusing him as a kid then keep his children far from them. I’m sorry the adults didn’t protect either of us, we deserved better, and I hope you finally found peace.
Jericho says
My dad was the kindes most heart warming person you’ll ever meat I miss going on drives or going to a diff town just so he could sing I miss listing to him sing to me and tink I miss going shooting with him it was so fun and when we went to la we had soo much fun I miss when we went to the beach and you toled us to not get in the water cuz we were coming back to Montana and we did the water was soo nice you were the best dad I could ever ask for I were you necklace to my wrestling matches I miss when you would come and cheer us boys on telling us you got this I’m soo sad you don’t get to watch me walk across that stage I miss when you called me your boy I miss you soo much rest easy love you! Let that shit ride 88