Clara Francis Cooper
Born May 19, 1929 – Died Oct. 26, 2018

Nickname: “Cookie.” She was a smart one and a tough one.

A 70-year resident of Arcata, coming here when she was 19 years old from Nebraska, she had a great love for her country, disadvantaged children, the environment and country music, supporting the local live music scene. This community has been good to Clara and always treated her with respect

Born Clara Francis Kubik on a mid-May day in a rural farmhouse in Thurston, Nebraska, near the Iowa border, with the cornfields aglow with fireflies at night, this angel came to Earth. The year was 1929. She spent the next 18 years on the farm being a high achiever at the local school that she walked to about a mile from home. She was the daughter of Clarence and Libby Kubik. She and all her siblings helped with chores and sat at a big table daily to delicious meals from their garden and farm. Her sisters included Marilyn P, Elsie K, Jo Ann P, Arlene H and Evelyn H (deceased), and infant baby girl Darlene (deceased), who would have been Clara’s older sister, but as it turned out Clara was the oldest child in the large family that also included brothers LaVern K, Donald K and Loren K, and youngest brother Melvin (Butch) (deceased) and a brother Carroll (deceased in childhood). She remained very close to all her siblings with longhand written cards and letters for 70 years, and she loved them all dearly.

Clara was all about putting family first – the family she was born into and the family that she birthed – putting everyone before herself in everything she did. She cared for grandkids and great-grandkids and helped out wherever she was needed. She would take on cleaning projects, laundry duty and babysitting. If needed she was always there to help, even raising several of her grandchildren with love.

She was baptized at age 11 at the Presbyterian Church in Thurston in 1938, graduating from the public schools there on May 23, 1942 and from Thurston High School, where she was a serious and dedicated student, on May 16, 1946, going on to college to receive her teaching certificate. She was a certified third grade teacher, receiving her certificate from the Nebraska Department of Instruction on Nov. 18, 1946, and landing her first job at the schools where she went as a child – District 9 Thurston County Schools. That was 1947, and her teaching contract was for $175 a month or $1,575 for the nine-month school term. The second contract was a contract for $210 a month and $1,890 for the whole school year.

While living away from home and teaching she met her future husband, Bronte L. Cooper (deceased 1999). Their marriage lasted 51 years. They married when she was 19 and he was 22. They were visiting his sister in Nebraska home on leave from the Navy and they tied the knot on May 23, 1948, in Pender, Nebraska, where they lived a few years before coming to California. While in Nebraska they welcomed their first two children – son Harlan (deceased at age 21) and first daughter Linda.

They then made their home in Arcata and welcomed three additional children – Bronte (Jr.), Beverly and Mary. So with a family of seven they trailblazed through life of hard work in the timber industry, and Clara was a stay-at-home mom until the kids were in elementary and high school and she went back to college to the nursing program in the evenings and to College of the Redwoods and Humboldt State University, taking classes in child development and psychology to continue her education. She was always and avid reader. She was also very proud of her husband’s new-found way of life, being a “friend of Bill W” for two decades and she supported him faithfully, attending meetings, round-ups and camp-outs, and she continued to attend speaker meetings after his death 

She was a yard sale queen and borderline hoarder, always recycling and giving things away to people in need. She would repurpose to avoid filling up the landfills. She could be seen picking up trash and washing off city bus stop benches or public restrooms. She would not wait for others to do it, but would do it herself if something needed done, also being outspoken in the community around her if she didn’t feel that something was being done to her standards, and she’d take it upon herself to discipline other people’s children if she was out to dinner.

She could be seen daily at the V&N Burger Bar for breakfast in the morning and Toni’s 24 at lunch and for dinner it was the Samoa Cookhouse. Everyone knew her by name and she got special treatment. Many times community members would pay for her meals when they saw her eating alone. Happened dozens of times. She would also frequent Gil’s By the Bay, Bob’s Footlong in Fortuna (she loved Fortuna) and also Marcelli’s Ravioli Factory and The Chalet, and not to forget the Mexican place in Valley West. She formed a bond with the owners there and their small children sat with her at her meals. She was also a regular at the local beauty shops, always keeping up her blonde hair well into her late 80s. All shops knew her by name for decades.

Clara could be seen in her little greygreenish Nissan pickup truck with white camper that she put 600 thousand miles on, and got in many fender-benders but refused to give up her keys. McCrea Nissan knows her well in the body shop.

She drove alone to Las Vegas and Nebraska when she was well into her late 70s to be with family, and yearly a Greyhound bus to Nebraska to family reunions. She loved those Greyhound trips, but hated if it was over a Sunday night when she would miss her Lawrence Welk show on TV. She saw him in person, as she did Willie Nelson, and was a huge fan, recently going to Vegas to see Reba and Brooks and Dunn with family. She loved Willie’s son Lukas Nelson and recently attended several of their concerts in S.F. and Palm Springs and Redding,

She worked for years for Arcata School District, Sunset School, as a teacher’s aide in fourth grade. She was the with the Title 1 reading program and supervisor on grounds. She also cleaned homes in Arcata. She was a very hardworking lady.

Clara was a member of the Ladies’ Auxiliary Post 2542; a life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars, Department of California #49239, since 1981; a member of Uniformed Service and a member of Disabled American Veterans, Sonoma county post #48, since 1986; and a life member of the California Teachers Association, Calpers and the PTA.

Her grandchildren are many and we will list first names only: David, Mason, Sean, Patrick, Chris, Sammi, Libby, Sara, Marcy, Clint, Jordan (deceased).

Great-grands, first names only: David, Halie, Kyle, Kimani, Tavius, Camilo, Sanae, Julia, JaVonn, Jaylen, Jasmine, Val, Hailie, Eli, Savannanan, Justin (deceased) and Hayden (deceased).

Clara has numerous extended family in the area and out of state, all special and too numerous to mention by name, but if you’re her niece or nephew or daughter-in-law and mother of her grandkids, just know how special you were to her. And many sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law and fathers of her grandchildren.

Clara could be seen on the dance floor and at the waterfront concert series shaking a leg to a local country band, but Bear River Casino mostly, until she fell doing the sock hop recently and hurt her hip pretty bad but refused to go to the doctor.

Clara tended to the flowers at her community garden where she lived for 30 years. She was also proud of the fact that the generation she was born in was termed “the greatest generation” and she would remind you of that. This coming May 19, 2019, she would have been 90 years old. A celebration of her life may be planned around that date.

Clara remained very, very active well into her mid-80s, taking the local bus system sometimes three times a day just to go places. The bus drivers all knew her well and helped her. She loved to ride to Fortuna or up to Orick for a slice of Martha’s pie at the Palm Cafe.

She made it her goal before she died to get headstones for two family members that didn’t have them, as one set for almost 45 years with no marker. And she completed that goal.

She could be seen sitting in the warm sun near her flowers. She loved to be warm and enjoyed her last two Christmases in Palm Springs with family just to avoid the rain in Humboldt.

Clara had a doll collection, butterfly collection and salt and pepper shakers, and shoes – counting over 138 pairs. She grew up in the depression with only two pairs of shoes and one doll. She made up for it later in life.

She continued to be very active in all her grandkids’ and great-grandkids’ lives, attending events for them – from sports events to birthday parties, graduations, award ceremonies and music performances and plays.

Special thanks to Mercy Hospital in Redding; Mrs. Warren, M.D.; the entire staff at Mercy that helped the whole family before and after Clara passed away there; to Dr. Baker and Mad River Hospital; Open Door Clinic; Granada; Dr. Melissa McKenzie; St. Joseph Hospital; General hospital Rehab; Dr. Erik Jansson; Mad River Home Health; Tim, Phoebe, Ann and Coya for home visits; Humboldt Infusion; Mad River Ambulance; Cal-Ore Life Flights; and her landlord of 30 years, Marty Conti and wife, for their kindness; and to Vivian and House of Flair for her love and prayers.

Donations can be made in her honor to Cal-Ore Life Flights and/or the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation,. Her ashes with be placed with no ceremony at grave side, next to her husband and son at Greenwood in Arcata. If you would like to pay your respects to her, her headstone will be placed in the future. Part of her ashes will be spread at her family farm in Nebraska, and part at Diamond Head Black Sands Beach in Hawaii, which holds special meaning for her firstborn son, and some to her children have requested to have some of her ashes.

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