Donald "Donnie" Cooper grew up in the Hazelwood section of Pittsburgh where he attended Gladstone schools. He later served in the US Marine Corps in Hawaii. He has five sisters and four brothers and currently lives with his mother, Marie Taylor, in Greenfield. He has been attending First Baptist Church since about 2005 and is also a part of the Saturday Praise and Prayer worship service. He likes hearing the choir sing, especially when there used to be more church members singing. In his spare time, he enjoys amusements parks, watching TV, listening to music and visiting with friends and family.