Willa Cooke Stiber

1932 - 2020

Willa Cooke Stiber, age 87, of Hollywood, Florida, passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by family, on Wednesday, September 16, 2020.

Willa was born in Terre Haute, Indiana on September 17, 1932 to the late William and Roberta Cooke. She grew up with her sisters the late Anne Simms and Jane Kelly. She was married to the late Joseph R. Stiber and is survived by six children: Michael, James, Mary, William, Gregory and Paul. Her son David sadly passed away in 2016. She is also survived by nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild.

Willa was an adventurer and a free spirit. She traveled to Mexico City to marry her husband, Joseph, and quickly started their life's journey together in a post WWII world. They lived in Mexico for almost 10 years where she became fluent in Spanish and immersed herself in the Mexican culture and history. Willa's sons, David, Michael, and James were born in Mexico. Her husband, Joseph, trained and raced thoroughbred horses at the Hippodromas de las Americas race track. Willa would often reminisce about the excitement, fun and unique challenges of a being a wife and young mother living abroad in Mexico City. She often sang Mexican folk songs throughout her life to her children.

In 1955, Willa moved to Hollywood, Florida with her family. She quickly grew an appreciation and love for the flora of the subtropics. She began gardening and took a particular interest in orchids. Willa was a master at subtropical horticulture and enjoyed many days working in her gardens. She also loved touring the Everglades by boat to observe the natural fauna. A day at Fairchild Tropical Gardens was always a favorite trip. Willa continued to travel throughout the United States and Europe with her family in tow infusing her children with the love of travel and discovery.

Although gardening and travel were her loves, quilting evolved to be her greatest passion. Willa was an award winning and prolific quilter. She had a natural ability to creatively integrate materials, stitching, and geometric design to create quilts that were works of art. Each quilt Willa crafted was unique and the artistry of the work conveyed and reflected the dimensions of her spirit. Willa would often fashion customized quilts as gifts that would carry a special meaning for the fortunate recipient. She was fond of teaching the art of quilting to anyone who was interested. Willa was also a master of needlepoint and hand crafted teddy bears, WillaBears, of all sizes using European mohair.

She loved books and read about diverse topics ranging from European architecture to ancient South American civilizations. Of course, her favorite reading was a good novel. Later in life, Willa enjoyed dressing in a whimsical fashion and often wore a funky hat, dress, or pair of shoes to suite the occasion. Everyone enjoyed her sense of style.

Willa loved her family deeply. She especially enjoyed holidays with a house full of family and the loud rambunctious merriment that came with such an occasion. When asked if the party was too loud, she would always reply "I love this stuff, I love the sound of my family." Willa was a devout Catholic. She was also an incredible mother. In fact, she often would say "All I ever wanted to be was a mother." She was loving, generous, and devoted to her children all the days of her life. Willa, our mother, leaves behind nothing but beautiful memories. God bless you Mom, you have touched our souls in so many ways; we will always love you.

A memorial mass is being held at Little Flower Church in Hollywood, Florida on Monday, September 28, 2020. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Little Flower Church, 1805 Pierce Street, Hollywood, FL 33020.