Marilyn Cooley

Marilyn M. Cooley, 74, of Anita, Iowa, passed away Tuesday, December 7, 2010, at the Cass County Hospice Center in Atlantic, Iowa.


Marilyn was born June 27, 1936, to Virgil and Marie (Smith) Schrader in Cumberland, Iowa. She attended community schools in the Cumberland area and graduated high school from Newton High (Iowa) in 1954. On December 2, 1955, she was united in marriage to Melvin H. Cooley at the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Anita. Four children were born to this union; Michael, Blake, Dana and Brian.

Marilyn and Melvin worked on their farm northeast of Anita for over 28 years, as well as being a full time homemaker. They moved into Anita where Marilyn lived for the next 27 years. In her later years she owned and operated Mel-Mar Ceramics and worked for various food and service employers. She enjoyed bowling, bingo, playing cards, raising dogs, singing, cooking, gardening and dancing with Melvin. She loved her grandchildren and spending time with her family.

Surviving Marilyn are her three sons, Michael and his wife, Laurie of Anita, IA, Blake of Mitchell, SD, and Brian and his partner Jerome Bradford of Los Angeles, CA; her daughter, Dana Cooley of Anita, IA; her brother, James Schrader of Bowling Green, OH; her sisters-in-law, Dolores Dekker of Bellevue, NE and Luetta Owens of Denver, CO; her brother-in-law, Herbert Cooley and his wife Patricia of Papillion, NE; 13 grandchildren, Robert Cooley, Michael Cooley, Jason Karns and his wife Sheri, Lindsay and her husband Andrew Downing, Leslie Herrick, Stephanie Cooley, Miles Cooley, Kane Cooley, Laura Rossell and her husband Stan, Phillip Church, Katherine Church, Megan Schroder and her husband Justin, and Brandon Crews; 14 great-grandchildren; her aunt, Elzene Taylor of Atlantic, IA; and several nieces, nephews and friends.

Preceding Marilyn in death were her husband Melvin Cooley; her parents, Virgil and Marie Schrader; her brother, William Schrader; her brothers-in-law, Paul Miller, Robert Dekker and Richard Owens; her sister-in-law, Lois Cooley; and her mother and father-in-law, Herbert (Ted) and Anne C. Cooley.

Funeral services will be held at 2:30 p.m., Friday, December 10, 2010, at Hockenberry Funeral Home in Anita, Iowa. Visitation with family present will be from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m., Thursday, December 9th also at the funeral home.

Burial will be in the Evergreen Cemetery in Anita.

Hockenberry Family Care in Anita is assisting the Cooley family.