Donna Bradfield Cooper

Donna was a woman who loved to care for others. She knew she wanted a lot of kids and with God's blessing she raised nine wonderful children. Donna spent much of her twenties delivering her babies and changing diapers, and although it was at times overwhelming, she knew she was truly blessed. Donna was born in Luther, Mi on April 6, 1934. She was the second child born to John and Frances (Simpson) Schlueter. In time, the family grew to include a total of five children. Money was a rare commodity during Donna's young years because the country was recovering from the 1929 Stock Market crash. She and her siblings, Delores, Dorothy, Dennis and John, found creative ways to have fun without spending money. When Donna was six years old, the family moved from Luther to Muskegon, MI. She missed the town of Luther and she never forgot the special times she had there as a child. The family settled into home life in the Nelson Neighborhood where Donna enjoyed her schooldays attending Nims School. Her compassion for others, and desire to serve led her to the Charles Hackley House. There she worked as a Candy Striper for the Red Cross. As a senior at Muskegon High School, Donna was set up on a blind date by her friend Willy Colburn. That night, she met Donald Bradfield. She was infatuated with him from the beginning. Donna knew she wanted to have a large family and Don wanted to make sure her dream came true for her. The couple married on May 17, 1952, when Donna was only eighteen years old. They began married life in their home in the Bluffton Area on Keaton Court. Keaton Court was named after a famous silent film actor named Buster Keaton who had spent his summers there. The family grew quickly, so quickly, that twice in her child rearing years Donna had three children in cloth diapers at once. Her sons, Steve and Bob where actually born in the same year. Those years may have seemed like a blur to Donna as her days were filled with endless domestic duties. She cooked, cleaned, sewed, and cared for the children late into each night. The family moved to different homes in the Muskegon area during those years. At one point, they were living in a two-bedroom home in Norton Shores. There were six children at the time they moved in and once their other three children were born they added two more bedrooms. Donna's mother, although she only raised five children, knew how much work a large family could be. She was close with Donna and was available to help her out many times over the years. Sunday drives were something Donna and Don enjoyed doing together as a family, but with a crowd that size, someone usually managed to get car sick. Many times, they enjoyed packing up and heading to the outdoors for a fun filled camping trip. Life was never dull. One of Donna's favorite pastimes was watching the kids skate on the pond by the house. She enjoyed the elegance of skaters gliding across the frozen water. She even looked forward to seeing Disney on Ice. As a mom, Donna was always cooking, but she was most famous for her delicious pumpkin pies. Everything she made was with love. At twenty-eight, a life changing experience occurred for Donna. She became a believer in Christ. Becoming a Christian was a spiritual milestone that left her a changed woman. Having God in her life gave her the strength to endure life's difficult moments, as well as, the hope of a better tomorrow. Donna's marriage with Don eventually ended. To provide for herself, in the 1970's, she went to work for the Muskegon Sheriff's Department at the County Jail. She worked there as a secretary to the medical staff. Having so much experience raising her nine children, she was familiar with much of the medical terminology. After working there for ten years, Donna took on a variety of other jobs. She liked getting out of the house and meeting new people. She was comfortable with everyone and made people feel accepted. In 1984, at a singles dance, Donna met Lloyd Cooper, an accountant from Oklahoma. It was earlier that year, that her daughter, Christine was married and Donna caught the bouquet. As fate would have it, Donna and Lloyd were married on December 21, 1984. The couple married in Pittsburg, PA , then moved to Oklahoma. They were in Oklahoma when the bombing occurred and Donna felt the tremors throughout her body. She was devastated. As a poet, she expressed her feeling on paper. Donna was a wonderful poet and she shared her work mostly with family. She wrote with beautiful elegant handwriting. On one of the anniversaries of the bombing she was interviewed on WZZM TV 13. After two years in Oklahoma, they packed up and moved back to Michigan. There Lloyd enjoyed working in the garden and Donna proudly canned the fruits of his labor. After twenty years of marriage, Lloyd passed away in 2004. Donna was never the same after losing Lloyd. She did her best to go on living and she found great joy and comfort in spending time with her children and grandchildren. This past September, Donna joined some of her children and grandkids on a relaxing trip to Mackinac Island. Times with her family were always dearly treasured. Donna was tired of struggling with her battle with cancer and she was ready to go home to the Lord. She will be dearly missed by her adoring family and fondly remembered as a loving woman of great strength and dignity. Donna's family includes her 6 sons, Clark Bradfield of Muskegon, Robert (Maria) Bradfield of Norton Shores, Steven Bradfield of Muskegon, Thomas (Laura) Bradfield of Norton Shores, Donald Jr. (Ruth) Bradfield of Norton Shores & Timothy (Donna) Bradfield of Norton Shores; 3 daughters, Debra (John) Clark of Bloomingdale, MI, Cindy (Skip) Priest of Norton Shores & Christine (Ron) Follett of Fruitport; 22 grandchildren; 16 great grandchildren; 2 sisters, Delores (Leon) Beighley of Norton Shores & Dorothy (Homer) Wright of Norton Shores & by 2 brothers, Dennis Schlueter of Baldwin & John (Sherry Rose) Schlueter of IN. She was preceded in death by her parents, & by her husband, Lloyd in 2004.