Funeral services for Frances Hines Wilson Cooper, 97, of Greenville will be at 1:00 p.m., Wednesday at Trinity United Methodist Church. She died Sunday, February 14 at Delta Regional Medical Center. Burial will be in the Greenville Cemetery.
Frances was born on September 15, 1918 in Houston, MS to Roy Leon and Mary Hemingway Wilson. She lived in Vicksburg with her family and graduated from Carr Central High School in 1935 and attended Draughan Business School. While living in Vicksburg she met and married Edward Ernest Cooper on Thanksgiving Day 1938. The couple then moved to Greenville where they made their home until his death in 1984.
A longtime member of Trinity United Methodist Church, she has served as a Sunday school teacher and as secretary of the MUW. In 2000, she received the award for outstanding service to the MUW.
Prior to moving into Magnolia Gardens, Frances was an avid bridge player and belonged to several bridge clubs, the oldest of which was the T and T (Thread and Thimble). She was the last of the original members and was still active until age 92. She believed playing bridge kept her mind active. It must have worked, for she almost always came in first or second.
For many years, she was employed by the Mississippi Employment Security Commission until her retirement in 1982. After retirement she continued to put her outstanding secretarial skills to work as a part time Hearings Claims Clerk for the Social Security Hearings Claims Court. She also did volunteer secretarial work for the Emmanuel House Retreat Center.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 46 years, her parents, her sister Mary Evelyn Shelton Mullaney and her brother Roy Leon Wilson, Junior.
Survivors include her daughter, Mary Lynn Powers and her husband Buddy of Lamont, and her son William Edward Cooper and his wife Lee Ann of Flora. Survivors also include six grandchildren, Michael Edward Powers and his wife Kim of Lamont, Lynn Powers Rush of Cleveland, Wilson Fletcher Powers of Lamont and his wife Sandra, Cathleen Cooper Dennis, her husband Terry, of Gallatin, Tenn., Stefanie Leigh Leo and her husband Doug of Madison and Melissa Frances Dukes and her husband Scott of Clinton and their families which include 11 great grandchildren and two great-great grandchildren: Matthew Oltremari, Sarah Powers, Christopher Pearson, Morgan Powers, Jacob Powers of Lamont. Betsy Rush, Caiti Rush, Cleveland. Thomas Dennis, Gallatin, TN. Jordan Maspons of Pensacola, FL. Blake Dennis of Gallatin, TN. Gavin Howell and Lane Martin of Madison, Shelby Hipp and Andrew Hipp of Clinton. Great great grandchildren: Brayden Oltremari of Greenville and Catherine Renee Dennis of Gallatin, TN. Her youngest sister Elizabeth Augusta McNamara of Vicksburg and a host of cousins also survive her.
A special thank you for the excellent care from Magnolia Gardens and special friends: Ora Phinisee, Doris Randle and Estella Jakewell.
There will be a visitation one hour prior to services at the church. Memorials may be made to a charity of your choice, Trinity United Community Church, 850 McAllister, Greenville, MS 38701 or St. Joseph Renovation Fund, P. O. Box 1220, Greenville, MS 38702.