Brenda Cooper

She was preceded in death by her father, Robert Johnson, father-in-law, Melvin Cooper, Sr., and mother-in-law, Audrey Mae Cooper.

She leaves behind to cherish her memory, her husband of nearly 50 years, Melvin Cooper, Jr., mother, Ella Queen Johnson (age 93), daughters Shalonda Lee Kay (Robert), Yolonda Maria Wyatt (Jerry), and Lowanda Mae Cooper, her siblings Ola Brinkley (Lacy), Robert Johnson, Jr. (Lela), Bennie Johnson (Nancy), Walter Johnson (Rosalyn), Willie Frank Johnson (Essie), and William Johnson, and her grandchildren Rayana Rayshae Guess, Elise Marie Wyatt, and Caleb Jay Wyatt. She also leaves behind special niece  Tilane Jones, along with a host of nephews, nieces, extended family members, and friends.

Brenda was born and raised in Prattville, Alabama, and was always a fan of the Crimson Tide football team. She even chose “Alabama red” for her Toyota Corolla. In Prattville, Alabama she gained a love for pecans from the trees in her yard. She graduated from Autauga high school. She was well loved in her school days, so much so that when she went to her 50th high school reunion everybody wanted a chance to visit with her. In 1973, she married Melvin Cooper Jr. Together, they traveled the globe during his military career. They were stationed in England twice, New Mexico, Louisiana, Virginia, South Carolina, and Colorado where their eldest child was born, and Arizona. Brenda and Melvin decided to stay in Arizona when he retired from the military in 2003. Together, they continued to travel the world. They went to Germany, France, Hawaii, Scotland, and Greece, which was her favorite place. She also visited New York City several times with her sister and friends.

Brenda loved all her family. Every year, she would return to Alabama in April for her mother’s birthday. She always hosted a themed birthday party for her mother. She would dress up to match the theme, decorate, and coordinate the entire event. Brenda was known for her costumes. She had a costume for every occasion. For her first visit to the Mayo Clinic for cancer treatment, she dressed up as Wonder Woman. When she did her breast cancer half marathons, she wore pink tutus and was a ray of sunshine. She wanted to bring joy to everybody she met and every situation she found herself in.

Brenda enjoyed walking every day. She would take her dog Blackie (a chow) on walks and all the neighborhood kids would come running to see them because she kept Blackie’s hair cut like a lion’s mane. She enjoyed reading her Bible and anything by Maya Angelou. Her favorite movie was “Gone with the Wind,” but she also loved “It’s a Wonderful Life,” “To Kill a Mocking Bird,” and “The Christmas Story.” She even had a shirt that said, “You’ll shoot your eye out!” But most of all, Brenda loved to dance. She would dance to any music that was playing. She especially loved the songs “A House is Not a Home” by Luther Vandross, “Still Standing” by Elton John, and “Happy” by Pharrell Williams. Brenda even took line dancing classes at her community center. While stationed in England, she created a dance along with some friends to “Boogie Woodie Bugle Boy” and performed it for the troops at a World War 2 memorial celebration. Brenda was always asking her family to go to the antique store or to Goodwill with her.

One of the ways Brenda showed her love for her family was with food. She was known for her amazing holiday dinners and especially her banana nut bread. But she was most known for being the one everybody would go to for advice. She always knew the right thing to say at the right time. If it was “Don’t give up,” or “You need to try something else,” it was always the right answer.

Brenda took great pride in her family.  Some of Brenda’s proudest moments were volunteering for 5 years with the Red Cross at Langley AFB, helping the spouses of those who were deployed during Desert Storm; and going through her cancer treatments with grace.

Brenda was humble, joyful, kind, and loving. She was the life of the party. She brought laughter and light to everybody she met. She was thankful for every day that she lived. Her sister Ola says, “If you met her, you had known her forever.” Her passing leaves a shadow of sadness in the hearts of all who knew her.

A memorial service honoring Mrs. Cooper will be held at 8am, Saturday, September 10 at Thompson Funeral Chapel in Goodyear, Arizona.