08/02/2025
Timothy Bert Cooper, a Norfolk native and lifelong film lover, built one of the East Coast’s most extensive DVD and VHS collections and helped turn Naro Video into a beloved cultural hub. Before running the video store, he was a respected film critic known for thoughtful reviews in PortFolio, the Ghent and then City magazine. His passion for movies deeply shaped his life and his decades-long partnership with wife and art historian Linda McGreevy.
The couple took over Naro Video in 1996 and turned it into a welcoming space for film lovers until its closure in 2019 due to the rise of streaming.
Cooper led the curation of the collection, later donating it to Old Dominion University, where it remains publicly accessible. ODU Libraries Dean Tim Hackman called it “a treasure trove” of rare and international films.
Friends and former coworkers recall Cooper’s deep knowledge, warm personality, and joy in discussing movies.
Cooper died July 23 at age 79 after a long illness. His legacy lives on in the thousands of titles preserved at ODU and the many lives he influenced through his love of cinema.
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