NORTH CARROLLTON – Despite these challenging times, life continues, and Americans are faced with adapting to a new normal. Children are being taught at home. Families are worshipping in their living rooms. Plans are canceled.
For Estelle Cooper, who celebrated her 100th birthday Friday, March 27, a change of plans turned a milestone birthday into an extraordinary celebration thanks to the kindness of friends.
Initially, Cooper’s birthday was to be celebrated with a parade through Carrollton and North Carrollton, complete with first responders, antique cars, and local dignitaries. However, because of government recommendations made in an effort to control the spread of coronavirus, the parade was canceled. However, having no celebration for Cooper’s milestone birthday wasn’t an option for some of her friends and loved ones.
“We wanted to do something to show [Cooper] what she means to us,” said Rebecca Lancaster. “We wanted to do something small to remember her birthday.”
Lancaster said she spoke with Linda Perkins, Cooper’s daughter, about a few vehicles driving by her house to wave to Cooper as she sat on the porch. Lancaster said she expected about 15 vehicles affixed with birthday posters to circle in front of Cooper’s home, and the posters would be hung on a board in the front yard so Cooper could enjoy them after the festivities were over.
That was the plan, but many more people who know and love Cooper wanted to participate. So on Friday afternoon shortly before 4 p.m., people began to line up on Cemetery Road in North Carrollton to participate in the special parade. Soon the line snaked past the cemetery and further down the road.
The parade took almost an hour as 57 vehicles decorated with signs and balloons and filled with people circled in front of Cooper’s home, waving from windows and sunroofs and from ATVs. Some brought gifts and cards, but all brought smiles to one very honored lady.
Cooper waved to everyone from her wheelchair on the front porch of her home. She wore a tiara in honor of her big day. Perkins greeted everyone alongside her mother.
“We love you, Mrs. Cooper,” families called from car windows.
“You taught me in GA’s,” one woman called. GAs stands for Girls in Action, a discipleship group of girls for first through fifth graders. Cooper taught GAs for many years at Carrollton Baptist Church.
“We had to wish you a happy birthday,” another woman called.
After all the cars went through, hand-crafted posters overflowed from the board and curled around the circle driveway.
“She is still enjoying it,” said Perkins on Tuesday.
Perkins said she hangs a new birthday poster in her mother’s room each day, and at meal time, the two open birthday cards.
“We’ve been savoring the cards,” Perkins said. “We open six or 12 at each meal.”
Perkins expressed her gratitude to everyone who participated and to Rebecca and Lanny Lancaster for organizing Friday’s parade.
“It was so much fun, and people put so much effort into it,” Perkins said. “I think it was so good for the entire community.”
Perkins said with children out of school, the parade gave everyone something in which to look forward, and children and parents worked together to create the birthday signs.
“I think it was a well-strengthening event for us,” Perkins said.
Cooper, a native of Carroll County, has been an active member in her community, and remained that way until recent years when she needed additional care at home.
“She is doing really well,” Perkins said. “Both she and I went into isolation [two weeks ago as a precaution for coronavirus.] Some afternoons when it is pretty, I try to get her out, and she is loving seeing the spring flowers.”
Cooper was born in 1920 on a farm located in the Four Forks community, and her childhood home still stands and remains in the Campbell family. She was the second of six children, with Cooper and two sisters, Mary Moore of Carrollton and Sadie Lee Mann of Jackson, the only ones remaining.
Cooper and her siblings attended school in North Carrollton. The school was known as North Carrollton High School and then J.Z. George, and Cooper graduated from J.Z. George. She went on to Draughn’s Business College in Greenwood where she learned secretarial work and bookkeeping.
After she completed business college, Cooper was hired as secretary for the county agent of Carroll County. She met her future husband, Richard Cooper, known as Bill to most, at that office.
Richard Cooper was a native of Charleston. He graduated from Copiah-Lincoln Community College and then Mississippi State University. He came to Carrollton when he was hired as assistant county agent. He spent his entire career in Carroll County, eventually being named county agent, serving in that capacity for 37 years.
The Coopers married in 1940, and they settled in Carrollton. In 1951, the couple purchased the Fox-Birmingham farm located on Winona Road on the outskirts of North Carrollton. Seven years after the Coopers married, they welcomed daughter Linda, and Cooper stayed home with her baby on and off until Linda went to school.
Over the years, Cooper worked at various offices around Carrollton and North Carrollton. She worked at the post office, as a bookkeeper for Peoples Bank and Trust, and J.Z. George High School.
As a member of the community, Cooper has been active all of her adult life. She is a lifetime member of the Cherokee Rose Garden Club, taught every age in Sunday School, and sang in the church choir for 60 years.
“Momma is the oldest member of Carrollton Baptist Church,” Perkins said.
Cooper was heavily involved in the WMU, the Women’s Missionary Union, and taught the GAs. She was the area coordinator and on the state board for the WMU, and she has served on every committee she could.
She has even been around the United States on mission trips.
Cooper also enjoys spending time with her family – Perkins; her grandchildren, Kim, Rick, and Benji; her six great-grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.
Hazel Penn has known Cooper her entire life.
“I’ve probably known her longer than anyone,” Penn said. “She has known me since I was a baby. She was a friend of my older sister, and as I grew up, I got closer to her.”
Penn described Cooper as “a true friend – a true, true lady.”
“Estelle is a person who has visited a person every day, even if it was to bring them a sandwich or a piece of pie,” Penn said. “She did little things for people that no one ever knew about. Just a small thought, coming from a big heart.”
Penn, who is also a member of Carrollton Baptist Church, said Cooper has been a positive influence on so many young people in the community over the years with her work at the church.
“She has taught so many young people in the church,” Penn said. “Her influence will go on.”
Penn said one of Cooper’s students in GA has followed in her footsteps.
“Lisa [Lord Long] grew up in her class, and is following in her footsteps teaching missions,” Penn said.
Granddaughter Kim Deloach said her grandmother has always been a “cheerleader” for those she loves.
“This is proven in the millions of newspaper clipping she’s always given out and still occasionally finds in her files to hand someone in person or stick in the mail,” Deloach said.
Deloach remembered spending time with her grandmother as a child and learning so much from her.
“She’s also a ‘lead by example’ kind of teacher,” Deloach said. “Even when she taught me how to make mud pies, they were beautifully decorated with crêpe myrtle flowers and small seeds from her garden. From decoupage, to sewing, to cooking, it was always something she did WITH you, not by instruction or lecture.”
However, Deloach said the most important thing Cooper taught her was to love others.
“Probably the greatest thing she teaches is to love others. She loves kids and always went with me on vacation to help corral mine since [my husband] Bubba was always in the field in the summer. She would have a box of crafts and would sit in the back between them and make paper dolls, learn to draw a rabbit, or cut snowflakes out all the way to Florida and back. She loves the elderly as well, and taught me about visiting shut-ins and folks in the nursing home as a small girl.
When she was close to 90 after lunch one day, she got her stuff gathered up and my oldest son said, ‘MeeMaw, where are you going?’
She answered, ‘I need to take some things to the old people.’ When I was little and spent the night with her, we always started the day off at the breakfast table reading the Bible and praying for people in need. That always included missionaries all around the world, and she knows & loves LOTS of them personally.
I only hope I can be a grandmother who teaches my grandkids great things....like love.”
