Frances Cooper, age ninety-seven, of Eutaw, Alabama, died July 4, 2024, at Heritage Health and Rehab in Tuscaloosa. Frances was preceded in death by her parents, Thomas Albert Kingsbury and Martha Katherine Heinrich Kingsbury, her husband, Daniel Webster Cooper, her son, Thomas Spigener Cooper, her sister Martha Rose Elliott (Robert), and her brother, Tommy Kingsbury (Mary Ellen)
She is survived by her children, Martha Tucker, Emily Kilgore, Danny Cooper (Cynthia), Philip Cooper, Kathy Bellenger (David), eight grandchildren, and nineteen great grandchildren,
Frances was born and raised in Washington, DC, where her father worked in government printing departments and her mother worked as a nurse. She graduated from Holy Trinity High School in Georgetown, where she sang in the choir, and went on to perform in community light opera. She moved to Wetumpka, Alabama in 1947 to marry Webster Cooper, whom she had met during the war while he was stationed at Camp Meede, MD. They were married 43 years until his death in 1991. They made homes in Wetumpka and Clanton, Alabama before settling in Eutaw, Alabama in 1960, where Webster retired from Alabama Power in 1983. Frances often joked that she was a “power company widow”, holding down things at home and answering “trouble calls” to relay to Webster when he called in on stormy nights. No cell phones in those days!
To capture a life of ninety-seven years in a few words is impossible. Frances was a beloved wife, mother and grandmother. She was a devout Catholic, who though she often struggled with her Faith’s demands, remained steadfast in her beliefs. She was gifted with a lovely soprano voice, leading the music ministry at Saint Mary’s in Eutaw for five decades. As children, she sang to us and read to us, and was ever vigilant to keep us safe. We all remember her “counting heads” on outings and at day’s end. She loved her “Cooper” and the family they created. She was a private person, but a true friend. She knew joy and depression and had great compassion for others. We loved her and we will miss her. God Bless and hold her close.
Services will be Graveside at Mesopotamia Cemetery in Eutaw, Alabama on Thursday July 11th, at 11 a.m. Father George Maniangattu officiating.
Pallbearers are Doug Bell, Joe Tucker, Web Bellenger, Ken Brown, Vince Faust, Daniel Janes, Jordan Cummings, and Tucker Ayers.
Honorary Pallbearers are niece, Nancy Elliot, and nephews, Christoper Kingsbury and Stephen Elliott.
In Lieu of flowers please make donations to Saint Mary’s Catholic Church, P.O. Box 732, Eutaw, Alabama.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.11.2