Quietly on the morning of October 6, 2024, Tina Cooper passed from this life to be with her Lord. Tina Cooper was predeceased by her husband, Ray Cooper in 2021 and granddaughter Lauren 2000. She leaves behind her sons, Brian (Connie), Greg (Erika) and Tim (Tricia), and her grandchildren, Christina, Sammy, Abigail, Nicole, Austin, Alexis, Sarah and Toby, as well as siblings John (Helen), Jim (Pat), Ron (Judy), Ruth, Josie and their families.
Tina was born in the village of Gnadenfeld, and her family moved to Morris when she was thirteen. Her family attended the Bergthaler Mennonite Church in Morris. Tina also listened to the Back to the Bible broadcast with her mother, and heard the radio preaching of Theodore Epp. As a girl, she prayed to give her life to Jesus Christ, trusting him as her Lord and Saviour.
Tina was an excellent student, and she had plans to pursue an education in medicine. Unfortunately, she lived at a time and in a context where her aspiration to be a doctor was not supported. So, Tina pivoted. She moved to Winnipeg in 1958 to attend the Grace Hospital School of Nursing. Her plan was to become a missionary nurse in Africa.
Having become a Christian earlier, and having listened to the teaching ministry of Back to the Bible, Tina was convinced that she needed to be baptized by immersion in obedience to the command of Christ. Her home church in Morris refused to allow her to be baptized by immersion, however. During her time in Winnipeg for nursing school, she went to Central Alliance Church, where she was baptized by immersion.
Tina graduated from the Grace Hospital school of nursing in 1960. The next year, she moved to Toronto to attend Central Baptist Seminary, where she planned to receive an education in preparation for her missionary career. But God had other plans. Not long after she started her studies, she met a handsome and persistent fellow student named Ray Cooper. They continued their studies together, and as a result, Tina never made it further east than Toronto.
Over the rest of her life, Tina served the Lord faithfully, as a pastor’s wife, mother, nurse, grandmother, and friend to many. Tina’s personality was warm, loving, and kind. Her personality was gracious and patient to those with whom she interacted. But Tina also had a strength that she kept hidden, and that emerged only in special cases. Despite her shyness, she became active in the Christian Women’s Club and spoke at a number of events. Tina had a willingness to meet needs, whether as a Sunday School teacher, mentor, or hostess. She also had a godly sense of humour that made her a joy to know.
One of Tina’s greatest joys was supporting her husband Ray. Even after Alzheimer’s disease began to affect him, she cared for him. After Ray’s passing in 2021, dementia took a toll on her, but she remained a delightful conversation partner, and enjoyed many a visit with a Starbucks treat with her son, Greg. She will be greatly missed by her children and grandchildren, her remaining brothers and sisters and relatives and friends.
