Cooper Henry Deatherage, known affectionately as “Juice” to his friends and teammates, passed away on May 27, 2026, at his home in Brookings, South Dakota, surrounded by his family. He was 19 years old.
Cooper had spent nearly a year fighting an aggressive brain tumor diagnosed in the summer of 2025, just weeks after graduating high school with dreams of college, hockey, and a full life ahead of him.
Cooper was born on December 12, 2006, and grew up in Brookings, where he became a cornerstone of the Brookings Rangers hockey program.
He skated with the team for 11 years and earned the role of Assistant Captain for the Boys Varsity squad during the 2024-2025 season.
Teammates and coaches described him as hardworking, driven, and the kind of player who made everyone around him better.
He graduated from Brookings High School in May 2025 and enrolled at South Dakota State University, eager to begin the next chapter of his life.
A Diagnosis That Changed Everything
That chapter was put on hold in July 2025 when Cooper woke up one morning with blurred vision. After several inconclusive tests, a late-night emergency room visit revealed a mass in the center of his brain.
Doctors in Sioux Falls referred his family eastward to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where Cooper was admitted in the early hours of July 20th.
A biopsy confirmed the diagnosis, and his care team moved quickly to put a treatment plan in motion that included four weeks of chemotherapy, an eight-hour brain surgery, and six weeks of targeted radiation.
As December approached and radiation was set to begin on the 26th, Cooper’s condition took a turn. He began sleeping nearly 18 hours a day, complained of head pressure, and was visibly not himself.
Severe vomiting brought him back to the emergency room, where doctors discovered the tumor had grown large enough to obstruct the normal flow of cerebrospinal fluid.
A shunt was placed in his head to relieve the pressure. Despite the setback, his family remained publicly hopeful that radiation treatment would resume within days.
A Fighter Until the End
Through every obstacle, those close to Cooper marveled at his refusal to give in to the weight of the situation.
Restricted to lifting no more than 15 pounds due to his condition, he still found ways to stay active, sometimes bringing his mom along to the gym to work within his limits.
He spoke openly about his goals: returning to work at Brookings Country Club, golfing and fishing with his friends, and eventually starting university life in the fall.
The Brookings Rangers hockey community responded to the news of his passing with grief and deep respect. The organization called on its hockey family near and far to place a hockey stick outside with a light on in his memory, and to fly hockey flags at half-mast in his honor. He wore number 17.
A visitation will be held Monday, June 1, 2026, from 5 to 8 p.m. at GracePoint Wesleyan Church in Brookings.
A funeral service follows on Tuesday, June 2, at 2 p.m. at the same location. Cooper is survived by his mother, Tracey, his father, Chad, and siblings Morgan and Emma.
