Colleen Cooley
Mrs. Colleen Thurmond Cooley, 86, of Union City passed away peacefully at her home on Dec. 23, 2023.
Funeral services were to be conducted 2 p.m. today (Dec. 27) in the chapel of Edmaiston Mosley Funeral Home. Pastor Tommy Hall was to officiate. Burial was to follow in East View Cemetery.
Visitation was to be held at Edmaiston Mosley Funeral Home from noon until the hour of services today.
Pallbearers were to be Keith Powell, Montana Powell, Don Mitchell, Kendall Minor, Teddy Montgomery and Wade Carrington.
She was born Feb. 4, 1937, in Obion County, daughter of James Woodrow Thurmond and Eldora Garner Thurmond. She married the former Sidney R. “Pete” Cooley on Dec. 2, 1956.
She was a member of the Union City Assembly of God. She loved to bake cakes for friends and neighbors, especially carrot cake. Because of her love of baking, she was affectionately known as the “Cake Lady.” In her neighborhood, she could be seen walking at 4:30 a.m., as she would walk nearly six miles every day. She continued to enjoy walking in her final days. She loved canning vegetables every summer from her husband’s yearly garden. Just like her husband, she enjoyed sports and fishing. She coached her daughter’s Goodyear softball team in the late ’70s. She was a longtime fan of the St. Louis Cardinals Baseball Team and the Tennessee Lady Volunteers Basketball Team. She loved watching college basketball, especially during March Madness. She had a love for the Boston Celtics, as Larry Bird was her favorite player. Whatever sports her children played, she was always sitting in the stands cheering for them. She was a lover of birds and parakeets. She was a faithful servant of God and a devout prayer warrior. She was a devoted wife to her husband and loving mother to her children, as she sacrificed so much for them. Her children were honored to have her as their mother.
She is survived by her four children, Sheila (Keith) Powell of Oakland, Shawn Cooley of Tacoma, Wash., Sharon Cooley of Smyrna and Stan Cooley of Union City; two granddaughters and their spouses, Karlie (Kendall) Minor of Oakland and Madison (Don) Mitchell of Nashville; two great-grandchildren, Ella and Titus Minor; one stepgrandson, Montana Powell of Union City; one sister, Shelby Haynes of Florida; and several nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Sidney R. “Pete” Cooley; two brothers, Kenneth Thurmond and James Thurmond; and her parents James Woodrow Thurmond and Eldora Thurmond.
The family would like to express their appreciation to all the caregivers who took care of Colleen during her time at home.
To leave messages of condolence for the family, visit the funeral home website at www.emfuneralhome.com.
Published in The Messenger 12.27.23