Wilma Larsen Cooley

Wilma Larsen Cooley, 92, passed away peacefully in her sleep at the home of her daughter, Doris Benson, on Tuesday, September 2, 2003. She was born in Newton on April 14, 1911, the third of six, but oldest surviving child of William Lewis and Ada Porter Larsen. She was a graduate of North Cache High School in Richmond, Utah, where she won honors as a typist. She served on the staff of the school paper, the Northcachian, and was a member of the Booster Club. After graduation from North Cache, she attended Utah State Agriculture College. She married Walter LeRoy Cooley of Newton on July 15, 1931 and they were the parents of five children. They and their spouses are Max L. Cora Cooley of Newton; Doris Glen Benson of Newton; Norris J. Virginia Cooley of Newton; Val E. Susan Cooley of Mt. Sterling and Elaine Robert Jones of Highland. Wilma and LeRoy had 21 grandchildren and 37 great-grandchildren. She has served in the LDS Church as a teacher in both Primary and the MIA. She was a Stake Work Director in the Relief Society organization and was a Visiting Teacher for much of her life. She worked with her husband for the Dairy Herd Improvement Association DHIA in the early years of their marriage where she won awards for her bookkeeping. She retired from Cache Valley Dairy in Amalga, Utah, where she spent many years working as a lab technician and a secretary in the office. She was a devoted wife and mother and spent most of her life supporting her family. She had a natural ability and love for gardening and for most of her life, with what spare time she might have, she could be found working with the flowers, fruits and vegetables. She was preceded in death by her husband, parents, all her brothers and sisters, one granddaughter and two great-grandchildren. Funeral services will be held Saturday, September 6, 2003 at 2 p.m. in the Newton 2nd Ward Chapel, 90 South 100 West, under the direction of Bishop Kevin Rhodes. Friends and family may call Friday, September 5 from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Nelson Funeral Home, 85 South Main, Smithfield, Utah and from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. on Saturday prior to the services at the Newton church. Condolences to the family may be extended online at www.nelsonfuneralhome.com .