Donna Mae Cooper

Donna Mae (Beisner) Cooper, age 81, of El Dorado Springs, Missouri, went to Heaven on Thursday, March 14, 2019. She was the co-owner of the Lockwood Pharmacy in Lockwood, Missouri, and was one of the best cooks in the world.
Donna was born on November 8, 1937, in Joplin, Missouri, to Donald and Juanita (Meadows) Beisner. It was two days before the start of quail season and since she had already arrived, it happily ensured her father did not miss the yearly hunt. She graduated from Neosho High School and attended Joplin Junior College.

Donna married Orvel Lee Cooper on January 26, 1958. They recently celebrated their 61st wedding anniversary. Donna and Orvel Lee moved to El Dorado Springs where Orvel opened Cooper’s Pharmacy. This was the first of many business ventures that they operated together.

Donna’s creativity in the kitchen was well-known throughout the civic community, She was a “natural” when it came to providing fellowship through meals for family and friends. Donna’s strong commitment to her Christian faith was witnessed by all who knew her. She was currently attending Herriman Chapel of El Dorado Springs. She enjoyed her civic clubs and the contributions those organizations made to the community.

She was “Mimi Supreme” to her grandchildren. She will be the grandmother remembered as the ultimate ready-to-order chef, the perfect party planner, and the holiday-decorating extraordinaire. The grandsons will remember the numerous times they were “recruited” to help with these tasks. The grandchildren will remember eating her lasagna, hot rolls, pumpkin pie and chocolate sheet cake. Her recipes will be passed on for several generations but they won’t taste the same because no one will be able to follow “a pinch of this and a pinch of that”.

One of her favorite things to do was to attend the various events of her grandchildren. She saw many athletic events, band concerts, Grandparent Day activities, Christmas programs and graduations. She had attended the weddings of two of the grandchildren and she was looking forward to a third wedding in May.

Preceding Donna in death were her parents Donald and Juanita Beisner; her in-laws, Harvey and Jessie Cooper; her sister-in-law, Sharon Cooper; son-in-law, James Callaway; and daughter, Ann, who died in infancy.

Survivors include her husband, Orvel Lee Cooper; children: Candee Cooper Callaway of El Dorado Springs; son, Lee and wife, Dena, of Harrisonville, Missouri; son, Eric and wife, Becky, of El Dorado Springs; grandchildren: Cory Cooper of Los Angeles, California; Sam Cooper and fiancée, Josie Peterson, of Washington, D.C.; Tyler and Courtney Cooper of Walker, Missouri; Callee and Eric Kaufman of Colony, Kansas; Luke Cooper of Los Angeles, California; and Jake Cooper of El Dorado Springs; great-granddaughter, Catherine Mae Kaufman of Colony, Kansas; brother and sister-in-law, Dewaine and Linda Beisner of Jonesboro, Arkansas, and brother-in-law, Dee Cooper of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. Several nieces also survive.

The date for a celebration of Donna’s life will be announced at a later time.