Shirley J. Cooper

Shirley J. Cooper, 82, of Holmen, passed away on Friday, August 29, 2014, at the Bluffview Memory Care.

She was born near Norwalk, Wis., on April 23, 1932, to Eugene and Mary (Goetz) Ziegler. She attended area schools and graduated from Sparta High School. Shirley married Leonard G. Cooper on May 17, 1958, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in La Crosse. They enjoyed 53 years of marriage until Leonard preceded her in death on October 27, 2011.

Shirley worked at Norplex in La Crosse for over 30 years before retiring. She and Leonard were active for many years in Holmen High School sports and the Holmen Booster Club, even long after they had children in school. She was an avid Green Bay Packer fan who also enjoyed fishing and loved taking trips to the casinos in her free time. Above all else, faith and family were most important to Shirley. She was a loving and devoted wife, mother and grandmother, who loved baking cookies and making homemade ice cream for her grandchildren. She was also a very faithful and active member of her church.

Shirley is survived by her children, Robert (Cathleen) Cooper of La Crosse, Kathleen (Robert) Martin of Holmen, and Larry Cooper (Connie Van Eps) of Independence, Wis.; twelve grandchildren, Robert (Nicole) Cooper, Abby (Nathan) Kemp, Jamie Cooper, Callinna Cooper, Casey Cooper, Niki (Toast) Mosier, Elizabeth (Dana) Gregory, Shawn (Holly) Martin, Heather Martin, Andrew (Samantha) Cooper, Austin (Erin) Cooper, and Alyssa Cooper; and five great grandchildren, MaKenna and Joshua Gregory, Jackson and Bradley Martin, and Lily Cooper. She is also survived by three brothers, Donald Ziegler, Ernest Ziegler, Paul (Lynn) Ziegler; and many nieces and nephews. In addition to her husband, Shirley was also preceded in death by a grandson, Adam Cooper; three great grandchildren; three brothers, Lloyd, Melvin and Eugene Ziegler; and a sister, Mary Ann Ziegler.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m., Wednesday, September 3rd, at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church in Holmen. Rev. John L. Parr will officiate. Burial will take place in Onalaska City Cemetery. Family and friends may call at the church on Tuesday from 4:00 until 7:00 p.m., where a rosary will begin at 4:00 p.m., and again on Wednesday from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be given and will be donated in Shirley’s memory. Schumacher-Kish Funeral and Cremation Services of Onalaska is assisting the family. Online condolences may be submitted at www.schumacher-kish.com.