Elaine Lou Cooper

Elaine Lou (Asman) Cooper, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother, passed away peacefully at home in Spring, Texas with family on October 10, 2025, at the age of 86. She was born January 16, 1939, in Tabor, Iowa, to John Herschel Asman and Greta (Walden) Asman.

Elaine grew up in Iowa and was the cherished younger sister of Max and Gwendolyn (Gwen). Her early life was touched with both hardship and blessing, losing her mother Greta and sister Marilyn in 1945 from complications related to childbirth, and later welcoming her stepmother Irene, whose children John and Elaine also joined the family. Through the marriage of Herschel and Irene, she gained the joy of siblings JoElla and Alan, all of whom came together to make a beautifully unique blended family. She graduated from Malvern High School in 1957.

On October 18, 1959, Elaine married the love of her life, Monte Lee Cooper. Together, they built a beautiful life and raised three children, Roger, Rhonda, and Richard. Elaine moved around with Monte and the kids between Nebraska, Iowa, and Kansas before eventually settling to Texas in 1980. She later retired from Spring ISD in 1999, proud of her many years supporting the community and its children. Elaine and Monte shared a love for adventure and spent many happy years traveling the country in their RV, often bringing along their children and grandchildren to share in the memories and experiences.

Elaine’s life was deeply rooted in faith, family, and community. She found joy in cheering for the Houston Astros and Houston Rockets, and she held a strong devotion to Texas A&M, a school where she saw her children and grandchildren attend, where she and Monte had football season tickets for decades. She would often let her grandchildren use her ticket so they could experience the excitement of Aggie football firsthand and always made sure there was enough food at the tailgate for whoever stopped by and whatever friends they brought along.

Her greatest joy, however, came from her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Elaine rarely missed an opportunity to watch them play sports or celebrate their milestones. She was always so happy to hear of their many accomplishments. The family gathered often through casual get-togethers, birthdays, holidays, weddings, anniversary celebrations, and Texas A&M tailgating. A cherished memory for all is when the family gathered at Granny & Papa’s house on Christmas Eve, a tradition that included church services followed by homemade pizza and oyster stew, then presents. Granny always made sure that everyone had presents under the tree. While never wanting to be the center of attention, her warm spirit and generosity filled every gathering with love.

Elaine also had a heart for dogs, and her faithful companion Sadie will miss her dearly, especially the pizza crusts she shared with her that almost certainly reduced the lifetimes of the dogs who came before Sadie.

Elaine’s life was one of love, laughter, and devotion to her family. She leaves behind an unbelievable legacy in the lives of her children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and beyond. She will always hold a place in the memories and hearts of all who knew her.

Elaine is survived by her devoted husband of nearly 66 years, Monte; children Roger (Shelley), Rhonda, and Richard (Angie); sisters Elaine (Bob), JoElla (Denny), sister-in-law Barb, sister-in-law Lila, brother Alan and brother-in-law Jim; nine grandchildren: Brett (Wisty), Becky (Craig), Drew (Jannah), Mitch (Jessie), Allie (Trey), Caitlyn (Connelly), Lauren, Brody, and Bryce; and twelve great-grandchildren: Camryn, Kaylyn, Cora, Jacob, Madeline, Tucker, Lane, Cooper, Kynlee, Theiss, Reiney, Carter, plus a 13th great-grandchild, a baby boy due in November 2025 who will certainly grow up hearing stories about his Granny.

She was preceded in death by her parents Herschel and Greta, stepmother Irene, brothers Max and John, and sisters Gwen and Marilyn.

A visitation will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 19, at Spring Community Church, 22801 Aldine Westfield Road, Spring, Texas 77373. A celebration of Elaine’s life will follow at 3:00 p.m., with a reception immediately afterward at the church. A private family burial will take place at a later time.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in her honor to the Spring Community Church and Montgomery County Animal Shelter.