Obituary of Edward Earl Cooper

Edward Earl Cooper, age 76, of Randle, Washington, passed away December 13, 2019, with family by his side.  Earl was born April 8, 1943 in Morton, Washington, to Robert Cooper and Lorraine (Rankin) Cooper.  He grew up in Morton and graduated in 1961 from Morton High School.  He married Marcey Lago on December 10, 1965.  They were blessed With two children.

Right after graduation, Earl went to work for St. Regis, followed by Champion International, and then Murray Pacific where he worked as a surveyor for each company.  Many logging roads in the Morton and Mineral area are roads that Earl surveyed.  When Earl no longer worked for these companies, he went to work for the Forest Service out of Randle for a couple years.  Earl then found a new career as a security guard at the Alder Dam and then at Mayfield Dam until retiring a couple years ago.  Earl also worked as a Reserve Police Officer for 20 plus years, first for Mossyrock Police Department and then Morton Police Department.  He was also a volunteer firefighter.  After leaving the police department, Earl was elected to the Morton City Council, followed by one term as Mayor.  Earl enjoyed helping his community and didn’t know a stranger since everyone was a friend.

After losing his wife Marcey, Earl found love again with Colleen Ward. They married July 25, 2015.  Even though they were married for just over four years, they had many wonderful adventures together and they could always be found laughing and joking with each other.

He is predeceased by his parents, Bob and Lorraine; his twin brother, Burl; and his sister, Dorothy.

He is survived by his wife, Colleen; daughter, Stacey Vanderlip; son, Travis (Crystal) Cooper; grandsons, Keanen, Brantley, and Rykar; granddaughter, Ariana; great granddaughter, Aaliyah; and nephew, Kurt Kines.  He is also survived by Colleen’s children and families, whom he loved and thought of as his own, Sharon (John) Mullins, Melanie (Stan) Pylies, Darrell (Dayna) Ward, and Peter Ward. 

Services will be held Saturday, December 21, 2019 at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 102 Crumb Road, Morton, WA 98356.  A viewing will take place between 12:00 p.m. and 12:45 p.m.  The funeral service will take place at 1:00 p.m., followed by a graveside service at Morton City Cemetery, Westlake Avenue and 7^th Street.  A reception will take place afterward at the church.