Kreszenz Cynthia Cooper

1928 - 2020

COOPER, Kreszenz Cynthia

It is with great sadness we announce the death of Kreszenz Cynthia Cooper (Oma), 92, of Tucson on December 13, 2020. Oma was born in Hagen, Germany to Jacob and Agatha Lieb on April 2, 1928. Oma immigrated to the United States in 1952, and in 1954 she took the oath for U.S. citizenship. A local newspaper reported on the oath ceremony and said Oma took the oath in "flawless" English. Oma arrived in Tucson in 1955 and began working for Pacific Finance. In 1960 she met Truman Cooper (Opa) and on October 12, 1960 Oma and Opa married in Las Vegas after driving from Tucson and arriving at midnight. The judge that would marry them was on his "lunch break", so they had to wait until he returned to perform the ceremony. Oma and Opa were founding members of the German American Club of Tucson. Oma was quite the cook and she and Opa enjoyed entertaining their friends and fellow club members. After 13 years at Pacific Finance, Oma went to work for Southern Arizona Bank which later became First National Bank of Arizona and then First Interstate Bank. Oma ultimately became a trust officer and retired from First Interstate Bank in 1987 after 32 years in the finance industry. During her retirement, Oma and Opa traveled extensively. In addition to trips back to Germany, they visited North Africa, Scandinavia and the former Soviet Union. To prepare for their Soviet Union trip, Oma took two years of Russian language classes at the University of Arizona. She also continued to cook for the family and serve complete Thanksgiving dinners well into her late 80s. She was quite uncompromising in her wishes that no one was to bring anything to add to dinner or to help her clean up. Oma loved her grandchildren and liked nothing more than sitting in the backyard watching the grandkids swim while knitting blankets she donated to children in need through Project Linus. Opa passed away in 2012, but Oma continued to keep busy doing crossword puzzles and reading mystery novels. She always looked forward to the monthly book sales by Friends of the Pima County Library. She never neglected to keep up on the current political climate with her beloved CNN and was very generous in sharing her thoughts of this with others. Oma is preceded in death by her parents and eight brothers and sisters. She is survived by son, Shawn (Inger) of Tucson; daughter, Sheree Oesterling (John Cammarano) of Marana; grandchildren, Preston and Shelby of Indiana, Heather and Frankie Oesterling of Marana, Hailey Oesterling of Texas and great-grandchild, Payton Isabelle Alexander of Marana. The family wishes to extend its thanks to Casa De La Luz Hospice. A private service will be held. Arrangements by ADAIR FUNERAL HOMES, Avalon Chapel.