Elizabeth Joan Cooper, 92, daughter of Henry Edwin Taylor and Marion Hall Muirhead, died unexpectedly Thursday, June 19, 2014, following a short illness. Joan was born on September 11, 1921, in Port Alberni, Vancouver Island, British Columbia (BC), Canada. She grew up in Williams Lake, BC, where her father was a member of the Royal Mounted Police. After finishing high school, she completed nurses training and was licensed as a registered nurse. In 1947 she married Everard Leaman Cooper from Kamloops, BC. They moved to Guelph, Ontario where Joan worked as a nurse while Ev was in veterinary college. In 1953 Joan and Ev established a veterinary practice in Maine. With Joan as assistant and secretary, they practiced for 60 years together. Joan was a devoted mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She kept a beautiful home which she graciously opened to her ever expanding family, and friends near and far, including ones she and Ev made on their travels in recent years while exploring their beloved Canada. She was an inspiration to all who knew her. She will be remembered as a great humanitarian, always offering her help to anyone who had a need. Together with her family, Joan enjoyed the outdoors, gardening, hiking, bird watching, canoeing, and snowshoeing well into her eighties. She loved the theater, opera, and poetry. She was also an accomplished seamstress and an avid reader with a love of learning. Her interest in politics led her to become a US citizen in the 1970’s. This enabled her to vote, to be involved, and to express her compassion for the underdog. She was predeceased by her husband, Ev, of 66 years, on November 30, 2013. She is also predeceased by her parents, brothers Duncan, Hank, Buck and Greg, and sisters Joyce and Carol. She is survived by her daughter Susan Antone married to Wallace with children (spouses in parenthesis), Jessica (Steven) Shaw, Leaman (Abigail) Antone, Alecia (Toby) Pineo, Dylan (Valorie) Antone, Bethany (Cea Jay) Pitcher, and Isaiah Antone; son Michael Cooper, married to Susan with children Ev Cooper and Silas Cooper; daughter Marnie Cooper Priest, married to Jonathan with children Clay Cooper, Elizabeth (William) Swihart, Stuart Priest, Matthew Priest and Rosemary Priest; son Henry Cooper, married to Vicki with children Calvin (Katie) Cooper and Benjamin(Courtney) Cooper. Joan also treasured her 16 great grandchildren and her many nieces and nephews. COOPER – died, at Lewiston, 6/19/2014, Elizabeth Joan Cooper, 92, of Chesterville. Private family committal services at the Cooper Family Cemetery, Chesterville. A memorial service will be held at Fayette Baptist Church, 39 Baldwin Hill Road, Fayette, Maine, on Saturday, June 28, 2014 at 11:00 in the morning. Reception to follow. Tributes and condolences may be shared on her memorial wall at www.wilesrc.com. Arrangements are in the care of the Wiles Remembrance Center of Farmington.

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