Obituary of Ralph Cooper

B I O G R A P H Y COOPER: Ralph Howis Cooper of Kitscoty, Alberta passed away at the Royal Alexandra Hospital, Edmonton, Alberta on Saturday, October 22, 2005 at the age of 78 years. Ralph is survived by: two sons, Glen and his wife Dorothy, Dwayne and his wife Cathy all of Kitscoty, one daughter-in-law Doreen Cooper of Edmonton; eight grandchildren; one great grandson; two sisters: Lucy Thorne of Devon and Gwen Kopp of Edmonton; One brother Keith (Dianne) Cooper of Edmonton; sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law: Aleda Cooper of Sherwood Park, Emillie Cooper of Lloydminster, Leo Jackson of Dawson Creek, Kathie and David Jack of Kitscoty and Ernest Lang also of Kitscoty as well as numerous other relatives. Ralph was predeceased by his son Barry in 2001 and his wife Audrey September 25, 2005. The memorial service for Ralph was conducted from the Kitscoty School Gymnasium on Saturday, October 29, 2005 at 11:00 A.M. with Reverend Bob Aldrich officiating. A eulogy was given by Charles Mauws. Hymns sung were “Beyond The Sunset, “ and “Bringing In The Sheaves,” accompanied on the organ by Myrna Peregrym. Honorary pallbearers were members of the Masonic Lodge and the Foresters. Also eight grandchildren: Brenda (Brad) Rieland, Kerry (Shelley) Cooper, Sharlyn Cooper (Tony Grahan), Michelle (Mark) Nelson, Connie Cooper, Leslie Cooper, Glenda Cooper, Chrissy Cooper and great grandson Carter Cooper. Urn bearers were Glen and Dwayne. Interment followed in the Kitscoty Cemetery. McCaw Funeral Service Ltd., of Lloydminster administered the funeral arrangements. Eulogy - Charlie Mauws Good morning,, my name is Charlie Mauws and I have the privilege of telling you a bit about my friend Ralph. Ralph was born on July 23, 1927 in England to Lucy and Fred Cooper. He was third in a family of nine. They moved to Canada in 1929 to Hayter, Alberta. In the sprint of 1930, Fred moved his family to the Kinnaird District. Ralph went to school until the age of fifteen when he went to work at Swifts’ in Edmonton, then at the Yellowknife mines and later drove taxi and ambulance in Edmonton. Later he went to work for several farmers in the Kinnaird area. He started his own farm in 1949 then married Audrey Lang on October 20, 1950. In the coming years, the boys were born. First Glen, Barry and then Dwayne. In the early eighties Ralph’s health caused him to refocus his drive from farming to his family and friends, whether it was going to the grandchildren’s events or hunting with us. Ralph was on numerous board and invested himself in the Foresters, in Masons, in golfing and in growing his pumpkins. Ralph also enjoyed flying his plane for many years. I have been hunting with Ralph for about thirty years. One of my memories of Ralph would be when he went out one morning to start the generator in his bedroom slippers and underwear. Ralph pulled the rope four or five times and stopped. There were some holy words and Ralph started pulling the rope again. The lights in the shack came on, but the generator wasn’t running. Whether it was the holy words or Ralph’s determination that started the generator, I guess we’ll never know what made the lights come on. Ralph was always the first one up and teased me about being the last one up. But one night I decided to be the first one up so I got up and started breakfast. Ralph woke up and looked at his watch and said “It’s three o’clock in the morning, get back to bed.” From then on Ralph got up first. It is hard to think of Ralph without Audrey, just as Audrey without Ralph. If Audrey taught love, compassion and kindness, then Ralph taught us know to be true to ourselves and to tell the difference between what is important and what is not. Ralph was a proud farmer and loved to help his fellow neighbor. This fall more neighbors helped each other than have for many years. Ralph would have wanted it that way. For many years, Ralph would phone and wish me and my family a Merry Christmas. I’ll miss that phone call and I’ll miss Ralph. Memories from the Grandkids Grandpa was a very kind and caring man. He had a heart of gold with soft spots for all his grandchildren, his sons, and his many dear friends. His family was important to him and he was important to us. The things he taught us, we will never forget. When Grandpa was in his fifties and still determined and going strong as always, he had a heart attack. For the first time in his life, he wasn’t able to do some of the work and was told he would have to slow down. The rest of the family believed that was impossible. He had never been seen relaxing and resting. Grandpa came home from the hospital and proved everyone wrong. He had the same determination as ever, only this time it was to get better. We have never seen Grandpa ever only half devote himself to anything, he believed that if you’re going to do anything, you do it right the first time. Grandpa loved spending time outside, whether it was golfing, looking after his garden, or doing odd jobs around the yard. When we were old enough Grandma and Grandpa took us to the ice capades in Edmonton, two of us at a time. For any of our school activities, they were always there. When we left home after high school, we would always stop in for Grandma’s “care package” before we headed back. Grandpa’s soft side showed as he always had a tear in his eye as we left. We have fond memories of him teaching us to play crib and the many hours afterward that we spent playing it together. Grandpa loved spending quality time with all his grandkids. Winters were spent building igloos and being pulled behind his skidoo in the special sled he specifically built to fit all of us in. Often we would walk up to Grandma and Grandpa’s in the morning and Grandpa would be sitting in his chair, usually with Kelly (our dog) laying beside him and we would watch “The Price Is Right.” Ice cream was Grandpa’s favorite treat, he had a bowl just about everyday after supper and often he would tell Grandma it was at our request, but Grandma knew better. Whenever we eat ice cream we will remember Grandpa. Grandpa saw some of us get married and accepted the person we chose as if they belonged to the family. Grandpa was very proud to walk Kerry down the aisle at his wedding and when for the first time he held his great grandson Carter. He was very proud of all our accomplishments. Our Grandpa was so unique because he worked hard to get what he wanted with the little that he had. It is hard to believe we will no longer see Grandpa outside in our yard with Kelly and the cat trailing behind him. We will miss Grandpa, but we take comfort in that he is where he is meant to be, with Grandma once again, taking care of her forever, and together they are taking care of us. Grandpa, we love you and will cherish you forever. Card of Thanks Thank you to Reverend Bob Aldrich for your comforting words at the service, as well as being with us during this past month. Thanks to Myrna Peregrym for playing the organ, Gail Hiltz and Carol McIntosh for leading the hymns. We also wish to thank the Foresters and Masons for their part in the service, and Charlie Mauws for giving the eulogy. Our appreciation to the Ag Society for serving the lunch after the service, Dale and Glenn McCaw and staff for their warm and professional help with the arrangements. Special thanks to family and friends for being there for us at such a difficult time. Your love and support through visits, food to our houses, flowers, phone calls and donations are very much appreciated. Also, a big thank you to friends and neighbors for your help with harvest at such a busy time. In lieu of individual thank you cards being sent, a donation has been made to STARS. Glen, Dorothy and family Doreen and Family Dwayne, Cathy and family The Cooper Families Ernest Lang Kathie and David Jack and Family Donations in memory of Ralph may be made to the Kitscoty Community Hall.