Duane Cooper
Duane Cooper Obituary
Duane S. Cooper, 89, passed away peacefully March 10, 2022 at Peace Hospice in Great Falls. Born August 15, 1932, to Beverly F. & W. La Verne (Johnson) Cooper at his maternal grandparents’ farm house in the Sample Flats area north of Carter, Duane was raised there and in Fort Shaw. He graduated from Simms High School in 1950. Duane married his high school sweetheart, Ina Mae Fleming, on November 18, 1951, and they were happily married for 70 years, living in Great Falls.
Duane worked many jobs, including at Ayrshire Dairy, mechanic at several locations, Buttrey Foods (in the warehouse and office), driving school and charter buses, computer operator at First Interstate Bank, and his pilot car service, to name a few.
Throughout his working years he had additional education opportunities, including Case machinery training and college courses in banking. These were all in his efforts to support their family that began in 1957, growing to four children. He greatly loved each of his children, encouraging and cheering them on in their endeavors, be it sports or careers, or anything in between.
Faith was an important facet of Duane’s life. He was involved in all aspects of church life, including the development and building of Lincoln-area Cane Ridge West. His faith guided him in all areas of his life. He found great pleasure in camping, fishing, hunting, gardening, boating, coaching and working with youth, bowling, pitching horseshoes, woodworking, rock hounding, and creating works of art such as embroidery pieces, wind chimes, birdhouses, picture frames. He shared these interests with his family and all those around him.
Duane is survived by his wife, Ina Mae; sons Neil, of Great Falls, and Mark of Missoula; daughters Dea (Gary) Nowell, of Great Falls, and Kerri (Rob) Pittman, of Black Hawk, SD; grandchildren Dillon Grotti, of Rapid City, SD; Ken (Jen) Bumke, Zach (Amanda) Bumke, Erica (Josh) Lundin, all of Missoula; and Brayden Pittman, of De Leon Springs, FL; sisters-in-law Rosilda Cooper and Prudence Cooper; and many nephews and nieces.
Duane was preceded in death by his grandparents, parents, stepfather Marshall Farley, parents-in-law, brothers Mervin Cooper and Gerald Cooper, sister Betty Anne Oleson, sister-in-law Maria Angelina (Angie) Fleming, brothers-in-law Norman (Bud) Fleming, Lyndon Fleming and Richard Oleson, and nephews Greg Oleson and Vince Oleson.
A couple of comments from his children… Dad was kind and caring, with a gentle spirit and had a good sense of humor. He never met a stranger; he could start a conversation with anyone. He was a “jack of many trades – a master of some.”
A celebration of Duane’s life will be held at 11 am on August 27, 2022, at Croxford Funeral Home, with the service being streamed online through their website. A reception will follow, with private burial later in the day at Manchester.
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