Beatrice "Bea" Cooper, the oldest native Michiganian, watched her beloved Detroit Tigers win on Sunday. She died the next morning at 112.
Cooper, of Harbor Beach in Huron County, Michigan's second-oldest resident, "had been coming to funerals right up until early January," said Warren Ramsey, 60, owner of Ramsey Funeral Home in Harbor Beach.
"She was mentally sharp," Ramsey said. "Her legs just gave out on her, though."
Ramsey said he stopped to visit Cooper several weeks ago after chatting with his aunt, who lives in the same long-term care facility that housed Bea Cooper.
"I looked in her room and said 'Bea, how are you doing?'" Ramsey said. "She said 'Warren, I'm just laying here waiting for you.'
"She had a wit about her."
Cooper was Michigan's second-oldest resident behind 113-year-old Daisey Bailey of Detroit, according to the Gerontology Research Group, whose researchers use census and other data to validate and compile records of extreme old age.
Cooper was the 24th-oldest person in the U.S. at the time of her death, according to Gerontology Research Group data.
"She was modest about her longevity," said state Rep. Terry L. Brown of Pigeon, who belongs to the same religious denomination - the Community of Christ churches - as Cooper.
"There are a lot of older folks who are, like, 'Hey, I'm 90, and I want to tell everybody about it,'" said Brown, noting he has preached at Cooper's church in Harbor Beach in the past.
Brown presented Cooper with a legislative tribute for her 110th birthday, two years ago.
"This sounds terrible, but she didn't look a day over 80," Brown said. "She was a woman of faith. She was dignified."
Cooper, born Feb. 3, 1897, in Port Hope, was a devout fan of the Detroit Tigers, Ramsey said.
Cooper is survived by a daughter, Thelma Ferguson of Cadillac, and by several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
© 2009 Michigan Live LLC
May 6, 2009
USA: One of world's oldest, Bea Cooper, dies at 112
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BAY CITY, Michigan / The Bay City Times / May 5, 2009
By Tom Gilchrist | The Bay City Times
Beatrice "Bea" Cooper, the oldest native Michiganian, watched her beloved Detroit Tigers win on Sunday. She died the next morning at 112.
Cooper, of Harbor Beach in Huron County, Michigan's second-oldest resident, "had been coming to funerals right up until early January," said Warren Ramsey, 60, owner of Ramsey Funeral Home in Harbor Beach.
"She was mentally sharp," Ramsey said. "Her legs just gave out on her, though."
Ramsey said he stopped to visit Cooper several weeks ago after chatting with his aunt, who lives in the same long-term care facility that housed Bea Cooper.
"I looked in her room and said 'Bea, how are you doing?'" Ramsey said. "She said 'Warren, I'm just laying here waiting for you.'
"She had a wit about her."
Cooper was Michigan's second-oldest resident behind 113-year-old Daisey Bailey of Detroit, according to the Gerontology Research Group, whose researchers use census and other data to validate and compile records of extreme old age.
Cooper was the 24th-oldest person in the U.S. at the time of her death, according to Gerontology Research Group data.
"She was modest about her longevity," said state Rep. Terry L. Brown of Pigeon, who belongs to the same religious denomination - the Community of Christ churches - as Cooper.
"There are a lot of older folks who are, like, 'Hey, I'm 90, and I want to tell everybody about it,'" said Brown, noting he has preached at Cooper's church in Harbor Beach in the past.
Brown presented Cooper with a legislative tribute for her 110th birthday, two years ago.
"This sounds terrible, but she didn't look a day over 80," Brown said. "She was a woman of faith. She was dignified."
Cooper, born Feb. 3, 1897, in Port Hope, was a devout fan of the Detroit Tigers, Ramsey said.
Cooper is survived by a daughter, Thelma Ferguson of Cadillac, and by several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
© 2009 Michigan Live LLC
Beatrice "Bea" Cooper, the oldest native Michiganian, watched her beloved Detroit Tigers win on Sunday. She died the next morning at 112.
Cooper, of Harbor Beach in Huron County, Michigan's second-oldest resident, "had been coming to funerals right up until early January," said Warren Ramsey, 60, owner of Ramsey Funeral Home in Harbor Beach.
"She was mentally sharp," Ramsey said. "Her legs just gave out on her, though."
Ramsey said he stopped to visit Cooper several weeks ago after chatting with his aunt, who lives in the same long-term care facility that housed Bea Cooper.
"I looked in her room and said 'Bea, how are you doing?'" Ramsey said. "She said 'Warren, I'm just laying here waiting for you.'
"She had a wit about her."
Cooper was Michigan's second-oldest resident behind 113-year-old Daisey Bailey of Detroit, according to the Gerontology Research Group, whose researchers use census and other data to validate and compile records of extreme old age.
Cooper was the 24th-oldest person in the U.S. at the time of her death, according to Gerontology Research Group data.
"She was modest about her longevity," said state Rep. Terry L. Brown of Pigeon, who belongs to the same religious denomination - the Community of Christ churches - as Cooper.
"There are a lot of older folks who are, like, 'Hey, I'm 90, and I want to tell everybody about it,'" said Brown, noting he has preached at Cooper's church in Harbor Beach in the past.
Brown presented Cooper with a legislative tribute for her 110th birthday, two years ago.
"This sounds terrible, but she didn't look a day over 80," Brown said. "She was a woman of faith. She was dignified."
Cooper, born Feb. 3, 1897, in Port Hope, was a devout fan of the Detroit Tigers, Ramsey said.
Cooper is survived by a daughter, Thelma Ferguson of Cadillac, and by several grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
© 2009 Michigan Live LLC
