Schedule a tour of our green funeral home, where human composting began
(206) 800-8733
Make Arrangements (206) 800-8733

Our Services

Based in Seattle, Washington, Recompose provides human composting services in all 50 states.

See Pricing

Immediate Need

If a death has occurred or is expected soon, we're here to support you. Call us anytime at (206) 800-8733.

Learn More

Imminent Pathway

Extended support as you navigate a terminal diagnosis, hospice, or the end of life.

Learn More

Plan Ahead

Set up your future human composting with our prepaid funeral plan, Precompose. It's simple, flexible, and risk-free.

Learn More

Ceremony Offerings

Plan a custom ceremony in one of our thoughtfully curated spaces. Each experience can be tailored to fit your needs and traditions.

Learn More

Lené Ann Cooper

December 4, 1973 – April 6, 2025

Lené Ann Cooper of Bellevue, WA, passed away unexpectedly on April 6, 2025, while traveling in Washington, D.C., with her family. It was my honor and delight to be her husband and friend for more than 30 years. Her presence, voice, kindness and wit will be deeply missed for the rest of my life.

Lené was born December 4, 1973, in the Panama Canal Zone to her parents Pat and Skip Cooper, both members of the U.S. Air Force serving in the region.

As a young woman, Lené was known for her resilience, frequently moving across the United States with her family during their Air Force service. While attending high school in Germantown, Tennessee, she discovered her passion for media and the performing arts. Lené served as a producer for Germantown High School’s public access television station and was a performer and costume crew lead for the Poplar Pike Playhouse, Germantown’s nationally recognized high school theater program. She was also deeply involved with local wildlife preservation, volunteering with Animal Rescue in Memphis, Tennessee.

Lené grew into an intelligent and giving woman who loved the arts, mathematics, and teaching. An accomplished undergraduate, she completed dual degrees in Mathematics and Theatre at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, receiving University Honors for her lighting design work in 1997. In 2002, Lené accepted a graduate teaching fellowship at the University of Oregon, continuing the teaching tradition established by her grandfather and mother. Shortly after graduating with her master’s in mathematics in 2005, she married Jake Rhodes, and together they created a life in Seattle, WA, filled with family and friends from the Pacific Northwest.

In 2005, Lené began her career in Seattle’s finance and technology sectors, holding analytical roles at local companies including Washington Mutual, T-Mobile, and most recently, Amazon. Friends and colleagues describe her as a skilled communicator of complex concepts and a genuine friend. She frequently tutored family and friends in mathematics, and she took pleasure in demystifying math for anyone eager to learn.

Lené’s passion for the performing arts never diminished. For over 20 years, she enthusiastically supported arts organizations such as ACT Theatre, Seattle Opera, Seattle Symphony, and the Seattle Theatre Group. She shared her love of the arts with her nephew Colin, whose growing interest in the arts was one of many interests they shared.

There are so many wonderful aspects of Lené to share:

  • Lifelong learner and thinker: Lené was an avid reader who eagerly embraced new writers and new ideas. Evenings and weekends often found Lené and her husband reading aloud to each other from journals and magazines about subjects that interested and inspired them, leading to lively discussions and debates. These moments will be greatly missed.
  • Fun-maker: Lené loved organizing experiences for others. She planned vacations, double-date nights, trips to music festivals, and frequently surprised loved ones with tickets to events they could enjoy together.
  • She embraced her low-brow side: While passionate about the fine arts, Lené also enjoyed the less-conventional side of the arts. She enjoyed tasteful burlesque, sci-fi of all kinds, cheesy horror films, and bawdy comedy.

And much more could be said about Lené, my friend, wife, and companion of the past 30 years. It all comes down to this: Lené was a smart, kind and multifaceted person—much bigger on the inside than she appeared on the outside. She would have loved that description, as would anyone who knew her.

Lené was preceded in death by her father, Delmar “Skip” Cooper, of Mill Creek, WA. She is survived by her husband of 20 years, George “Jake” Rhodes of Bellevue, WA, her loving German Shepherd Miloš, her mother Patricia Cooper, her sister Debra Carroll, her brother-in-law Ryan Carroll and her nephew Colin Carroll of Mill Creek, WA. We all love her. We all miss her terribly. Life is not as full without her.

A celebration honoring her life will be held in June for everyone who loved Lené.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to charities and causes that were dear to Lené including organization that support the local arts including Seattle Theatre Group, ACT Theatre,  KEXP.org, or organizations that that support the humane treatment of animals including the Seattle Humane Society, and The WA German Shepherd Rescue.