David W Cooper

Funeral services for David W. Cooper, 61, of Melcher-Dallas, will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, December 20, 2025, at Trinity Lutheran Church in Knoxville. Family will receive friends Friday evening from 5:00 until 7:00 p.m. at Pierschbacher Funeral Home in Melcher-Dallas. Please feel free to wear Christmas attire to the funeral. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in care of Dave's family and will be used to help with medical expenses.
David William Cooper was born June 9, 1964, in Des Moines, Iowa, to Myron and Ina (Herold) Cooper. He grew up in the Melcher-Dallas area and graduated from Melcher-Dallas High School in 1982. On October 5, 1985, he married his high school sweetheart, Tonya Willoughby. Together they were blessed with three daughters, Sierra, Nica, and Tori, and eight grandchildren.
Dave spent the majority of his career working in construction and in a woodworking and cabinet-making business alongside his dad. Even in his free time, he enjoyed working on wood projects with his brother-in-law, Gary. He adored his daughters and grandchildren and proudly built a train and playset in his backyard for them to enjoy. Dave was extremely talented and could make just about anything once he set his mind to it.
Those who knew Dave best remember him for his stubbornness, gruff nature, and sarcasm. Deep beneath that exterior was a big hearted man with a strong relationship with God and great need to help others. His need to help others was fulfilled through his work with Iowa Diabetes Research, taking care of his parents, and anyone who needed help provided he was able to do this without any fanfare. Dave was the opposite of a social butterfly and preferred quiet conversations with a limited number of friends. Once you got him going, his quirky sense of humor was impossible to miss.
Dave passed away December 16, 2025. He is survived by his father, Myron Cooper; his wife of 40 years, Tonya Cooper; daughters Sierra (Jeremy) Harvey, Nica (Brian) Anderson, and Tori (Paul) Otruba; eight grandchildren, Ryan, Ava, Hannah, Riley, Sawyer, Bradyn, Colton, and Lainey; brothers Dan (Jenni) Cooper and Doran (Joelle) Cooper; in-laws Jean and Lloyd Willoughby; brothers- and sisters-in-law Lary (Kathy) Willoughby, Craig (Becky) Willoughby, Lynn Willoughby, and Sue Willoughby; along with many nieces, nephews, relatives, and friends.
He was preceded in death by his mother, Ina Cooper; his sister, DeAnn (Bill) Spicer; brothers-in-law Gary Willoughby and Perry Willoughby; and his nephew, Jon Willoughby.