Eilene Edna McCarthy Cooper, age 93, recently from Spring Creek, Nevada, passed away peacefully while at the Intermountain Medical Center in Murray, Utah on November 30, 2023. Her daughter, Cindy, and son-in-law, James Forness, were by her side.
Eilene was truly a lady, and she knew when to leave. She is survived by two sons, Gary Dean Cooper (Bonnie), Ronald Ray Cooper (Pam); daughter, Cindy Forness (Jim); grandchildren, Bill Cooper, Christine Livingston, Kevin Cooper, Marsha Cooper, Brian Cooper, Alicia Beckstead, Michelle Brazell, Dave Shumway, Heather Shumway, Casie Andrews, and Will Shumway; sister, Sharon Davis; brother, Jimmy Holt (Jan); many great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren; and numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends, from all the places she lived.
She is preceded in death by her husband, John Cooper; two sons, John Richard Cooper (Vickie), and Woodruff Dale Cooper; grandson, Eric Cooper; sisters, Helen Davis and Juanita Thate (Bob); and brother-in-law, Bob Davis.
Eilene was a loving, caring woman her whole life. She never had a bad word to say to or about anyone and everyone knew she loved them unconditionally.
She was born on August 16, 1930, to Ivan Ambrose and Elsie Shumacher McCarthy. After they divorced, Elsie married Jim Holt and Eilene had a different father for most of her life. She loved them all.
If you ever had the chance to be around her you noticed how truly happy she was, her smile was always in place. She always told the people she loved how thankful she was for them, every time she talked to them. She is a prime example of how we can save the world just by telling each other we love them and are thankful for them.
Eilene married John Cooper when she was 16, and their first child, Gary, was born when she was 17. The love for her children just grew with the birth of each of the five children. She loved each of her children the same. Along the way, her children grew and had families of their own. As each grandchild came along, she was there to help with them and help the mother until she could get on her feet.
In 1963, her family lived in Fruita, Colorado. One day the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knocked on her door. As soon as she heard what they had to say, she knew it was true and she never doubted it. Her biggest joy was helping others and being there for them; the sick, downhearted, weary, she loved them all. Geneology was one of her favorite things to do, as she loved all of her family and wanted to know how she could share the Gospel with all of them. Eilene’s humanitarian work never ended. With a smile on her face, she put her shoulder to the wheel and pushed along with a song of grace and prayer in her heart.
She never stopped learning and fighting to be better every day. At the age of 57, Eilene went to college and received her GED. She was so full of genuine love and gratitude for this opportunity and praised the Lord so humbly for helping her get there. She was always learning, painting, sewing, gardening, never still for a minute. When she lived in New Mexico, She took painting classes and had a showing for her paintings. She even sold some of them. She was a woman of many talents and will be missed by her family and a community of friends.
Funeral service, Monday, December 11, 2023, 11:00 a.m., Wellington Stake Center, where the family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Eilene will be laid to rest next to her beloved husband, John Wesley Cooper, on Tuesday, December 12, 2023, at 1:00 p.m., at the Veterans Memorial Cemetery in Grand Junction, Colorado (2830 Riverside Pkwy, Grand Junction, CO 81501). Arrangements entrusted to Mitchell Funeral Home of Price and Huntington where friends are always welcome daily and may share memories of Eilene online at www.mitchellfuneralhome.net.