Elaine Maxine Cooney

Elaine Maxine Cooney, 61, of Carmel, Indiana departed this life peacefully on Friday, July 22, 2022, in Indianapolis. Elaine was born May 7, 1961, in St. Louis, Missouri to the late Albert and Marcella (Mueller) Chase. Elaine grew up and attended schools in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and then earned her undergraduate degree from General Motors Institute, now Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. She would then go on to earn her Master of Science degree from Purdue University with a focus on electrical engineering. On July 7, 1984, Elaine married Timothy J. Cooney at St. Christopher Catholic Church in Indianapolis. She and Tim moved to Carmel in 1990 with their growing family. Elaine was a kind and gentle soul who always put her faith and family first in her life. She was a Professor Emerita of Electrical Engineering Technology at Indiana University Purdue University Indianapolis for 35 years, retiring this past May. Those who knew Elaine best would all certainly agree that she was born to sing, teach and sew. She was a woman of determination, resiliency, and patience. She was instrumental in fostering the success of countless engineering technology students. She loved a challenge in her mostly male-dominated field rising to Department Chair for seven years and thoughtfully inspired others to be their best. Between April 2015 and March 2017, Elaine was named a Faculty Fellow with the Indiana Hub of the AAC&U Faculty Collaborative. She was a member of several engineering associations over the years that included ABET as an Accreditation Program Evaluator and Team Chair for the Engineering Technology Accreditation Commission and an IDEAL Senior Scholar. She was also a member of both ASEE and IEEE. Elaine was a dedicated member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church for over 32 years. She served in the Music Ministry as a cantor (many times accompanied by her husband, Tim) and will be recognized by many at the Sunday 8 am Mass. She additionally was a dedicated volunteer for Carmel Swim Club, obtaining national credentials, and was named Volunteer of the Year in 2012. In addition to her parents, Elaine was also preceded in death by her sister-in-law, Mary Catherine Bishop. Elaine is survived by her loving husband, Timothy J. Cooney; her devoted children Patrick Cooney, Elizabeth “Betsy” Cooney, Mark (Sophie) Cooney, and Cynthia Cooney; her devoted sisters, Frances (Frank) Mannion and Arlene (Dave Swan) Mueller as well as a host of extended family, grateful students, friends and teaching colleagues. Visitation for Elaine will be from 4 - 7 p.m. on Tuesday, July 26th at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Catholic Church. Additional visitation will begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, July 27th at church and conclude at 11 a.m. when her Mass of Christian Burial will begin. Interment immediately follows at Our Lady of Peace Cemetery. One of Elaine's last projects was to set up a fund through the Purdue School of Engineering & Technology at IUPUI to support student success. In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate it if you would consider donating to this fund. To make a donation by check, please make checks payable to the Indiana University Foundation, include "The Cooney Family Engineering Technology Impact Fund" on the memo line, and mail to: IUPUI School of Science, c/o Lindsay Heinzman, 402 N Blackford St, LD 222, Indianapolis, IN 46202. Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.leppertmortuary.com for the Cooney family.