Obituary of May Beaton Cooper

On Tuesday, March 14, 2006 May Beaton Cooper (nee Smith) passed away peacefully and naturally in her sleep, following a brief illness. May will be greatly missed and lovingly remembered by her sister-in-law Barbara Smith (William MacKenzie); her nieces and nephews, Marlene Herdman (Robert), Elaine Thomas (William), Ivan (Karen), Neil (Karen), Valerie Smith and Larry Smith (Joanne); as well as fourteen grandnieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband C.M. (Mac) Cooper in 1974 and recently predeceased by her loving brother William in October. May will join her parents William and Johan; brothers, Ian (Marion), Al (Dorothy), and Joan who have all predeceased her. May was the last surviving member of her immediate family and since her family was always a closely knit family, she will be at peace with them now. May was a strong, responsible, gentle person from a young age, and not surprisingly she pursued furthering her education by arranging for financing as a teenager. She graduated from Normal School in Calgary at age 19 years and began a long teaching career first in rural Alberta (Hanna) and then for the next thirty-five years in Calgary teaching Social Studies most recently at Montgomery Junior High School. She resided in her own home that she and Mac bought in the 1950’s until at age 88 when she moved to the Beverley Nursing Home. May and Mac loved to travel and learn about other cultures. May continued to travel and learn about others through University courses until she was eighty years old. May was an avid readers and had an extensive library. She will always be remembered for her loyalty to her extended family. May never missed sending a gift and card to all her nieces, nephews and grandnieces and nephews on their birthdays. She also hosted and arranged Christmas Dinner at first in her home and then for over thirty years at the Palliser Hotel. Up to thirty family members including children attended her “gathering of the clan” dinner. May was a loyal, kind, strong, independent and sensible woman fiercely proud of her Scottish heritage. She was a lifetime member of The First Baptist Church. Funeral Services will be held at McINNIS & HOLLOWAY’S Fish Creek Chapel (14441 Bannister Road S.E.) on Monday, March 20, 2006 at 2:30 p.m. Graveside Service to follow at Union Cemetery. Forward condolences through www.mcinnisandholloway.com. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Heart & Stroke Foundation of Alberta, 200, 119 – 14th St. N.W., Calgary, AB T2N 1Z6 Telephone: (403) 264-5549, www.heartandstroke.ca, to the Salvation Army, 420 – 9 Avenue SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0R9 Telephone: (403) 410-1111, www.salvationarmy.org or directly to the Mustard Seed Street Ministry, 102 – 11 Avenue S.E., Calgary, AB T2G 0X5 Telephone: (403) 269-1319, www.theseed.ca. The family would like to extend special thanks to the staff at the Beverley Nursing Home and staff at Unit 61 Rockyview especially Dr. Wash. In living memory of May Cooper, a tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES Fish Creek Chapel, 14441 Bannister Road S.E. Telephone: (403) 256-9575.