Ida Mae Hanna Cooper was born on January 7, 1938, and raised in Johnsonville, SC, the sixth child of James & Alma Hanna. She accepted Christ at an early age and was actively involved in the St. James Missionary Baptist Church. She was a 1956 graduate of Gibbs High School. At the age of nineteen, she moved to Winston Salem, where she met and married James Cooper. There, they were part of a large, close-knit family community. She retired after 35+ years at North Carolina Baptist Hospital. She then worked another 10+ years with the Budd Group.

After the untimely death of her husband, she devoted herself to raising their children. Her powerful work ethic and vision propelled her children to pursue educational opportunities that did not exist for her.

Mrs. Cooper's legacy is evident in the imprint she made on two generations. She was proud to have seen both of her children receive graduate degrees and all of her grandchildren graduate from college.

A woman of faith, Mrs. Cooper prayed daily for her family and friends. She was a very private person but had a close circle of friends from her neighborhoods and various jobs. They referred to her as Mother and she was their Queen. Mrs. Cooper was sensitive to the difficulties of others and helped many in her characteristically quiet way.

Over the last two years, she had numerous health issues that she faced valiantly, always insisting on preserving her independence and dignity. In her final months, she was cared for in the most loving manner by her children and caregivers. Mrs. Ida Mae Hanna Cooper went home to be with our Lord on February 26, 2023, at the blessed age of 85. She will be missed by all who knew her.

She was predeceased by her son Timothy Cooper; husband James "Buster" Cooper; parents, James & Alma Hanna; and six siblings, James Hanna, Curlean Mitchell, Solomon Hanna, Moses Hanna, Leona Lewis, and Myrtle Hammond.

Left to cherish her memories are her son, Ronald Cooper (Jill); daughter, Trella Cooper, MD (John Fitz-Henley); grandchildren Christopher Cooper, Esq (SaDonna), Jason Cooper, MD, Bryant Cooper, John Fitz-Henley II, Raina Cooper, and James Fitz-Henley; three sisters, Alice Shortt, Lillie "Oletha" Hanna, and Virginia "Roberta" Ellis (Ozzie); in-laws, Mary Hanna (Solomon), Jannie McCullough (Elijah), Melvin Cooper, Harmon Cooper, Jr. (Jannie), David Cooper (Ernestine), Sam Cooper (Ruth); and a host of special cousins, nieces, nephews & friends.

Graveside memorial services will be held at 11:00am Monday, March 13, 2023 in Piedmont Memorial Gardens, Winston-Salem, NC.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests a charitable donation be made in her memory to your local foodbank.