Kate “Tiny” Coopwood

Tiny was born Oct. 9, 1912, and passed away Sept. 17, 2016.

Tiny was born in Lockhart, Texas, the youngest of four children (Travis, Joe Bailey, and Tootsie) of Elisha Hulme and Georgia Robuck Lipscomb. Her childhood was a happy one, attending Lockhart public schools and participating in many activities including learning the Charleston, the dance rage of the era. After grad

uation from LHS in May 1930, she enrolled at Southwest Texas State Teachers College in San Marcos. Then the bottom dropped out!

In the midst of the Depression, her father died in November 1930. She was able to complete one year of college but then had to drop out to help the family. A job was available at the Glenvoir School, five miles west of Lockhart. Glenvoir was a school funded by Mr. Martindale for the children of migrant workers. She taught there for four and a half years thru 1935.

While teaching, Tiny became reacquainted with Dr. Joseph Bennett Coopwood, who returned to practice in Lockhart after his father, Dr. Thomas Benton Coopwood, died in August 1932. They were married Dec. 29, 1936 in Lockhart. Their first child Thomas Benton Coopwood, II, was born in1938 and Kate Ellis “Sandy” Coopwood followed in 1940. These were probably the happiest days of her life. In 1940 they built a new home in Lockhart.

Things would again fall apart. The Texas National Guard was called up in November 1940 in preparation for what would be WWII. She was able to go with Joe to Brownwood and then follow him thru his training to Massachusetts until he embarked for North Africa April 1943. She then drove back home with two small children, no small feat for a small town lady. Then in November 1943 the rest of her world crashed, as Joe was Killed-in-Action.

Again, showing the “grit” she was born with and with the help of her family, friends, and Lockhart she was slowly able to put her life back together. With her children old enough, she reenrolled in SWTSTC in 1950 and graduated in 1953. She began teaching elementary school in Lockhart and did so until retirement in 1970.

She dedicated and spent many happy hour being with her children and grandchildren. She never missed any of her children or grandchildren’s sports, activities or performances until she was unable to drive outside of Lockhart. She enjoyed Contract Bridge with her friends and was active in the First United Methodist Church Lockhart.

All these years she lived alone in the home she and Joe built, but in 2005 her health began to fail and she came to live at Brookdale Assisted Living, where she remained until shortly before her death.

She is survived by her son, Tom and wife, Paula; daughter, Sandy and husband, Ed Marshburn; grandchildren: Ben Coopwood and wife, Robin, their children, Travis, Katie, Sara; Joe Coopwood and wife, Joann child, Cami; Janna Coopwood (deceased) child, Cassie; Jerad Adams and wife, Melissa and children Hannah, Hope, Hadley, HelenRose and Hilary; Steven Adams; Scott Robertson and wife, Charlene, and children Chris and Ellie; and Kathy Hubley and husband, David, and children Bennett and Katelyn. Her mother, father, and siblings have all passed away.

The family wants to thank Brookdale Assisted Living and all the employees who took such good care of Mother as well as Brookdale Skilled Nursing and Hospice Brookdale.

Service will be at Lockhart Cemetery on Sept. 22, 2016, at 2 p.m. with Reverend Don Duval presiding. In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the Jesse “Red” Burditt Scholarship Fund at Lockhart High School, First United Methodist Church Lockhart or charity of your choice.