Elizabeth "Lib" Parsons Cooper

Elizabeth “Lib” Parsons Cooper passed away peacefully at home on January 16, 2024. She was born in Weeksville, North Carolina in Pasquotank County on March 3rd, 1931 to Elizabeth Harrell Parsons and Thomas Howell Parsons.

One of eleven children, Lib was a proud farm girl, growing up on a potato and tree farm. She graduated from Weeksville High School, where she was a member of the 4H club, a cheerleader and senior class president. Her senior superlative was “Most Likely to Succeed”. Upon graduating from high school, she attended Peace College in Raleigh. She loved her Peace College days! Her educational investment served her well and she landed a job as a legal secretary with the law firm of William “Bill” Joslin. Bill and his wife, Mary, were mentors to Lib and had a huge impact on her life. She always remembered her legal career fondly and had great admiration for the Joslins. While working in law, Lib also met another legal secretary that would become one of her closest and dearest lifelong friends, Lucille Lee.

Lib enjoyed her single days at the Raleigh Apartments with roommates, Carolyn Downey Brockwell and Ida Kay Jordan. While living with Carolyn and Ida Kay, she was introduced to Grady Cooper by her friends and downstairs neighbors, Fred and Lucille Martin, who told Grady he needed to meet the beautiful neighbor “that lived upstairs”! Lib and Grady began dating and Grady proposed to Lib at the Duke Gardens. They were married in 1959 at First Baptist Church in Raleigh. Soon after, they designed and built their forever home for their new family in Brookhaven.

Lib was involved in Democratic Party politics, supporting many local statewide and national political candidates. Most notably, when Lieutenant Governor Robert W. Scott decided to run for governor, his Kitchen Cabinet needed a headquarters and Lib and Grady offered the basement of their home. They would meet after work each day and work through the night to elect Governor Scott. The Kitchen Cabinet members supported Scott through his term as governor and remained friends for life, enjoying many celebrations, including an annual New Year’s Day party, which Lib and Grady often hosted at their home. Through this group, they met two of their dearest friends, Anne and George Smart.

Lib retired from her legal career after she and Grady began a family. She was also very active in the community including involvement in PTAs at her children’s schools and serving in many capacities. Lib was a member of Democratic Women and served in leadership positions with the Raleigh Children’s Theatre and as a Girl Scout leader for many years. She was a patron of the arts and supported many organizations, including the NC Symphony and the Raleigh Little Theatre. Under Governor Robert Scott, she was appointed to the Arts Council, on which she served passionately. During her service on the Arts Council, Lib was instrumental in introducing poetry in public and private schools across North Carolina, including a poet in residence program.

Lib learned to sew at a young age and dreamed of becoming a dress designer. Although she pursued a career as a legal secretary, her dress designing, and creative endeavors were never far from her mind or her fingertips! She created beautiful clothes for herself and her family, costumes for Halloween and special events, Christmas ornaments, handbags, you name it. Her creativity did not stop there. She was a true do-it-yourselfer long before Martha Stewart and was in her element designing and creating a beautiful home for her family.

Lib was also a member of Edenton Street United Methodist Church and the Foundry Fellowship Sunday school class for nearly 60 years. Over the years Lib served in many church capacities including as a lay shepherd. She adored her Foundry fellowship friends and some of her fondest memories were of OGG (Our Gang in God), a young couples ministry group at church.

Lib was a devoted wife, mother and grandmother. Known to hop a plane, train or automobile at the drop of a hat to help out with the grandkids, she was truly in her element as Grandma to her two granddaughters, Ellen and Audrey and as GaGa to her grandson, Cooper. She loved cheering on her children and their spouses in their life pursuits and did so as she shared pearls of wisdom. She loved spending time with her neighbors too, and many became a second family to her, especially Fred and Kat Hamlin and later their grandson and his family, Will, Jane and Drake Hamlin.

Lib is survived by her daughter, Caroline Cooper Lamm and her husband, Kent, of Charlotte, NC; son, Grady Cooper III, of Studio City, CA; grandchildren, Ellen Cooper of New York City, Audrey Cooper and Cooper Lamm; sister, Susie Jones of Wilmington, NC; and sister-in-law, Sylvia Parsons of Santa Rosa, CA. She is also survived by nephews, Grover Dobbins and wife, Martha, Daniel Dobbins and wife Angie, Steve Cooper and wife, Mary, Sam Cooper and partner, Larry Hazelwood, Van Cooper and wife, Harvi, and nieces, Susan Jones, Martha Jones and Rebecca Kays and husband, Noah. Lib is also survived by many great and great-great nieces and nephews.

She was predeceased by her husband, Grady Cooper, Jr., her parents; sisters, Sadie Markham, Dorothy Hash, Iris Sitze, Audrey Swain and Lydia Williams; and brothers, Thomas Parsons, Emerson Reid, Alonzo Reid and William Reid, sisters-in-law, Mary Dobbins and husband, Grover, Eleanor Cooper, Carolyn Comer and husband, Frank; brothers-in-law, John Cooper and wife, Mary Lou, John Jones; nephew, David Dobbins and daughter-in-law, Jane Cooper.

The family would like to thank the many friends who supported Lib during her final years, including Jane, Will and Drake Hamlin, A.C. and Nancy Snow, Fran Preston, Dr. Roger Elliott, Dr. William and Colleen Lee, Ginger and Al Lockamy, Es’dorn Westbrook, Ann Faust, Leslie and Ed Coman, Dr. John and Molly Chiles, Kim Dittmann, Lisa Pace, Laura Sheely, Betsy Pfenning and Foundry Fellowship Sunday School Class. The family would also like to thank Lib’s Dream Team for their loving care - Dr. James Parsons, Jacqueline Satterwhite, Lillie Royster, Italy Landry, Helen Henderson, Gwen Henderson, Priscilla Blanks, Mam Badeh Saine, Evette Wade, Shronda Wall, Alieu Sanneh, Aiesha Darboe, Bayada staff, including Jennifer House, Danielle Boyd, Reem Salameh, Chinwe Obasi, Sarah Alston, Dominique Mitchell, Amarachi Beltran, Donna Hill and the entire staff at The Oaks at Whitaker Glen, as well as Vivian Okoro and the staff at Transitions Life Care.

A memorial service will be held at Edenton Street United Methodist Church on Saturday, January 27th at 2:00 pm. A reception will follow the service at Edenton Street UMC. A private interment for the family will be held at Dobson Town Cemetery at a later date. Guests are encouraged to wear colorful attire.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Edenton Street United Methodist Church, 228 W. Edenton St, Raleigh, NC 27603.

Arrangements by Brown-Wynne, 300 Saint Mary's St. Raleigh, NC.