Ruby M. Cooper

Ruby Marie Cooper, 93, of Sioux City passed away peacefully on Sunday, January 24, 2021 at Holy Spirit Retirement Home.

Visitation will be at 9:30 a.m., Friday, January 29, 2021 at Holy Cross Parish, St Michaels Catholic Church followed by a Rosary at 10:00 a.m. and funeral mass at 10:30 a.m. Burial will be at Calvary Cemetery. Those wishing to partake in the services may view a livestream on the Holy Cross Parish Website ( https://holycrosssc.org/ ) or the Holy Cross Parish Facebook page (Holy Cross Parish Sioux City).

Ruby was born on November 5, 1927 in Sioux City, Iowa to Thomas and Albertina (Fredricksen) Jordahl. She graduated from Sioux City East High School. She was employed with New York Life Insurance and Younkers in Sioux City and Dow Air Force Base in Bangor, Maine. Ruby was a longtime volunteer at Trinity Heights Queen of Peace.

She married Bernard (Beanie) Cooper on March 26, 1951. She dedicated her life to her husband and nine children with her journey taking her from Sioux City to Bangor, Maine for her husband’s military service, back to Sioux City, then to Algona, IA as the wife of the first Head Football Coach of the newly started Bishop Garrigan High School. From there she moved back to Sioux City and was the “first lady” of Bishop Heelan High School Football. Their journey continued with her role as the wife of the University of South Dakota Head Football Coach and Athletic Director and then on to Terre Haute, Indiana supporting her husband’s athletic directorship for 10 years at Indiana State University. She then spent the next many years with her husband, helping Trinity Heights Queen of Peace transform from a vision, to the spiritual reality it is.

Ruby was the copilot in this successful journey. Her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and his Mother the Blessed Virgin were with her every step of the way, with rosaries routinely said on the way to countless business banquets and events. Her faith shaped every interaction. In her last years at Holy Spirit, her kindness touched all who entered her room, leaving them better for having stopped by.

Ruby is survived by her children, Mike (Sandy) Cooper of Gilbert, AZ, Pat (Anita) Cooper of Eden Prairie, MN, Tim (Peggy) Cooper of Eagle, ID, Mary (Nick) Merrigan of Vermillion, SD, Linda Cooper of Omaha, NE, and Chris (Craig) Johnson of Vermillion, SD; 24 grandchildren; 31 great-grandchildren; and her sister, Charlene Rockwell of Warren, Michigan.

Preceding her in death are her husband, Bernard (Beanie) Cooper, her children, Gary Cooper, Kathy Cooper, and Thomas Cooper; her parents Thomas and Albertina Jordahl; her twin sister, Ruth Callahan; and infant sister, Deloris Arlene.

Memorials in Ruby’s name may be made to Trinity Heights Queen of Peace, Holy Spirit Retirement Home or Bishop Heelan Catholic High School.