Obituary

Merlyne Martha Johanson Cooley
April 12, 1921--August 13, 2023

Merlyne Cooley went home to be with the Lord on Sunday, Aug. 13, 2023, at the age of 102. She was born April 12, 1921, in Minneapolis, Minnesota, to George Johanson and Florence (Lindgren) Johanson. She had one brother, Hartwell.

Merlyne grew up in Minneapolis but spent many summers in Scandia, Minnesota, on her uncle's farm. She graduated from Washburn High School in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1939. She married Thomas Brewster Cooley on June 11, 1941, at Mt. Zion Lutheran Church in Minneapolis, Minnesota. They were married 59 years until Tom's death in 2000.

Tom and Merlyne raised five boys, Tom Jr., Dennis, Gerald (Hap), Craig and Scott. Besides Minnesota, they also lived in Dayton, Washington; Los Alamos, New Mexico; Pendleton, Oregon; Mount Vernon, Washington; Mesa, Arizona; and finally retiring in Pendleton, Oregon.

Merlyne was employed during her lifetime as a teller at the First National Bank in Pendleton, a secretary for Pendleton High School, and owner-operator of the Cheese Shoppe in Mount Vernon, Washington, with Tom Sr.

Tom Sr. and Merlyne loved to travel to the mountains with their camper trailer and were camp hosts for the Washington State parks system and they spent many winters in Valle del Oro, a snowbird community in Arizona.

Merlyne was a woman of faith from childhood until her passing, she extended God's love to all whom she encountered and shared her beautiful singing voice in many church choirs that her husband directed. She will be remembered for her faith and devotion to her family.

Merlyne is survived by three of her five sons, Dennis (Vicki), Mount Vernon, Washington; Gerald/Hap (Judy), Pendleton, Oregon; and Scott (Carrie), Olympia, Washington. She is also survived by Tom Jr.'s wife, Dinah Finney (Dave), Surprise, Arizona; and Craig's wife, Valerie, Echo, Oregon; and she was blessed with 11 grandchildren and 31 great-grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, brother, husband, Tom Sr.; son, Tom Jr.; son, Craig; and a great-grandson, Colton Cooley.

We will miss her deeply but take comfort in the knowledge that she rests peacefully with her Lord and Savior.

A celebration of life will be held at Burns Mortuary of Pendleton on Sept. 30, 2023 at 11 a.m.