Grant Sherman Cooper

Logan, Utah ? Grant Sherman Cooper, age 83, passed away of natural causes at Logan Nursing and Rehabilitation on May 6, 2006. He was born on March 30, 1923, in Meadow, Utah to Sherman Cooper and Grace Bushnell, and was the first child of five children born into the family. He grew up in Meadow, Wellington, and Hinckley, Utah. He attended elementary school in Wellington and Hinckley, and later graduated from Hinckley High School. During his youth, he participated in football, basketball, and track, and earned his Eagle Scout Rank in the B.S.A.
Grant attended BYU from 1941-42, where he joined the U.S. Marine Corp officer?s program, and then was called into active duty for World War II. He served four years of active duty, including 2½ years in the South Pacific Guam, Saipan, Okinawa, as an airplane electrician. He was discharged in February 1946 from the Marine Air Corps at the rank of sergeant. He returned home, found work, and began his university studies at BYU in 1947. In the winter of 1948, he met Ruby Schow, and they were married in the St. George UT Temple on June 11, 1948. Grant went on to complete his B.S. and M.S. degrees in chemistry at BYU in 1953 and 1954, respectively. Grant and Ruby began their family at BYU, and they had four sons before leaving in Sept. 1954. Grant moved his family to Southern California in 1954 to begin a career in teaching at Rosemead High School. Within one year, Grant was hired to teach chemistry at Mt. San Antonio College, where he taught for nearly 24 years. They lived in West Covina and Upland, and the family grew by adding three more children, a son and two beautiful daughters. Grant?s life for the next 25 years included all the challenges, opportunities, and blessings of being a husband, father, faithful member in the LDS Church, and college professor. He and his eternal companion raised their seven children up in the gospel of Jesus Christ, and tried to support, encourage, and nurture their children in life. They endeavored to teach them the gospel of Jesus Christ. Grant served in different Church callings throughout his life and enjoyed several teaching responsibilities. The family has many fond memories of vacations to Utah and Idaho; visiting relatives and national parks in the Intermountain West; where they enjoyed the love of family and the great outdoors. Four sons served missions for the LDS Church, and four children earned college degrees from BYU and USU.
His life would change in late 1970?s when the family moved from California, and began a business venture in Richmond, Utah in irrigation equipment sales and retail groceries. The dream of a family business and having all his sons working in it was an ambitious goal, and something that Grant wanted to do. That dream did not work out which brought heartache for the next 20 years. Grant would return to teaching in the later years of his life in California and Utah. He finally retired in 1998. Within three years, Grant would have open heart surgery, lose his beloved wife of 51 years, and have major back surgery in April 2001, from which he would never fully recover. However, Grant continued to enjoy his family the best he could. He showed an enduring love for family to the end of his life.
The family would like to express their sincere thanks to the nurses, staff, and personal at Logan Nursing and Rehabilitation, Dr. Steven S. Salisbury, and Hospice for all of their constant and compassionate care provided to our father during the last 4½ years of his life. He is survived by seven children; Gary, James, Richard, Grant Jr., Rex, Debra, and Caralee; his brother, Jay Cooper and sister, Kathryn Hunt; 28 grandchildren; 10 step-grandchildren; 9 great-grandchildren; and one step-great-granddaughter. He was preceded in death by his parents; wife, Ruby S. Cooper; his brother, Romney, and sister, Zola E. Barker. Funeral services will be held at 12:00 Noon on Monday, May 15th, at the Smithfield 13th Ward chapel, 345 E. 300 S., Smithfield, UT. Family and friends may gather Sunday evening for a viewing from 6 to 8:00 p.m. at the Nelson Funeral Home, 162 E. 400 N., Logan, UT, and again on Monday from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. at the church. Interment will be in the Smithfield Cemetery.