Reva Jean Cooper

In loving memory of Reva Jean Cooper.

Reva Jean Cooper, 81, of New Carlisle, Indiana, passed away peacefully at home on Monday, Jan. 26, 2026. With her passing, the world has lost someone extraordinary, a woman whose love and goodness will be remembered and carried forward by all who knew her.

Reva was born on Jan. 9, 1945, in South Bend, Indiana, to John and Irma (Luther) Clark. On Oct. 9, 1965, she married the love of her life, Larry G. Cooper, at the New Carlisle United Methodist Church. Together, they built a life shaped by devotion and steadiness, loving one another for a lifetime, a marriage that spanned more than 60 years.

Reva moved through life with a gentleness that softened everything it touched. She was funny without effort, kind without condition and generous in ways that never asked to be seen. There was something rare about her presence, a calm, patient warmth that made people feel safe and deeply loved. She carried a goodness that did not fade or tarnish. She was gold in the truest sense, steady, luminous and lasting.

She gave her life to her family not as an obligation, but as a calling. As a stay-at-home mother, she created a home rooted in warmth, constancy and care. Later, she shared that same tenderness with countless children as a teacher's aide at Rolling Prairie Elementary School, offering patience, encouragement and quiet reassurance to those who needed it most.

Family was Reva's greatest devotion. She loved people fiercely and paid attention in ways that made others feel truly known. She remembered the small things, the passing worries, the joys worth celebrating, because to her, no detail of a loved one's life was ever unimportant. To be known by Reva was to be cared for in a way that felt steady and sure.

She found meaning in simple moments and in the care she gave without ceremony. What mattered most to her was not extravagance, but presence. She listened closely, remembered what people carried and met them with warmth. Love, with her, was familiar and generous, offered freely and often.

Reva is survived by her beloved husband, Larry Cooper; her son, Kyle Cooper and his wife Elaine Alexa of Gulf Breeze, Florida; her grandchildren, Lauren Cooper, Justin (Alex) Cooper, Morgan (Jean) Cooper, Brandon Cooper and Roman Cooper Alexa; and her great-grandson, Ryan Cooper, Lauren's son. She is also survived by her sister, Phyllis (Tom) Tag of Chicago, Illinois; her brother, Mark (Annette) Clark of Rolling Prairie, Indiana; and her daughter-in-law, Marybeth Cooper, the widow of her late son, Bradley Cooper.

She was preceded in death by her son, Bradley Cooper; and her brother, Larry Clark, both of whom she carried with her, always.

Even now, she will be felt in the warmth of the sun on our skin, in the calm of familiar places, and in moments of stillness where love feels close and steady. Though she is no longer here in body, her presence remains, woven into the lives she shaped.

Above all else, Reva taught those who loved her what unconditional love truly means. She showed that kindness does not need an audience, that patience is a form of devotion, and that love, when given freely, becomes something that outlives us.

A Celebration of Life will be held on April 11 from 1 to 4 p.m. local time at The Chef's Table, 713 Michigan St, New Carlisle, IN 46552.

All who loved Reva are welcome to attend and honor a life lived with grace, warmth and quiet brilliance.