Misti Mae Cooper, daughter of Larry and Pam (Mitchell) Powell, and sister to Lisa and Derek, was born March 21st, 1977. She went to be with her Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on December 7th, 2024 at the age of 47 after a courageous and hard-fought battle with acute myeloid leukemia.
Misti attended Summersville High School, graduating with the class of 1995. While in high school, she fell in love with Dustin Cooper. While Dustin and Misti often seemed to be complete opposites, in reality, they were the perfect partner for the other, balancing each other out, and throughout their 25-year marriage, which began on June 5th, 1999, this continued to be the case. Their love was everlasting, and throughout her entire illness, Dustin stayed by her side, his quiet calmness a constant, reassuring presence. After their marriage, their family grew with the birth of their first son, Eli; next came Jonah, then Sadie, with Henry completing their family. Misti’s greatest role in life was as a mother to her children, and while she loved spending time with all of them together, some of her most cherished times were spent with them individually. With Eli, she enjoyed going fishing and talking about the impending birth of her first grandchild; with Jonah, there was much relationship conversation and talking on the front porch; with Sadie, she loved to shop, watch TikToks, and for Sadie to curl up in Momma’s bed and watch movies; and with Henry, she would sing while he played guitar, and they would listen to music together. “Momma” as she was known to her children, loved them unconditionally and fiercely. Through Misti’s example of Christian motherhood, her children learned to be honest, to forgive, and to love family, friends, and most importantly, Jesus.
Besides the roles of wife, mother, daughter, and sister, Misti was also a second-grade teacher at Summersville Elementary School, where she was known as Mrs. Cooper. For 20 years, Mrs. Cooper carried her mothering beliefs into her classroom. Not only did she teach students to read, write, add, and subtract, she taught them that they were important and worthy by loving them for themselves and holding them accountable for their actions. She was firm and consistent in her dealings with all students, and no matter what level they were on, she met them there and pushed them upward. She took a genuine interest in her students’ lives, recognized their strengths, realized their weaknesses, and did her very best each day in the classroom to teach her students that hard work pays off. Even after students were promoted from Mrs. Cooper’s class, many stopped in each morning to say hello, and even in their high school careers and beyond, many still declare Mrs. Cooper as their favorite teacher. The immense impact that Mrs. Cooper had on her students throughout her career, and how that legacy continues throughout the students in the Summersville School District and beyond, is immeasurable.
Misti had an unwavering faith and belief in Jesus Christ as her Savior, that began when she was saved at the age of 12 during a revival at First Baptist Church. Never was her faith more evident than in the past year, when in the midst of the storm of her illness, Misti continued to praise God for his care and protection–through the good times and bad, Misti would say, “God is good.” Misti was a singer, with a sweet, pure voice that she enjoyed raising in worship of her Lord. Anyone who was lucky enough to hear her voice as she praised God in song was surely blessed. She loved the song “Goodness of God”, and believed the words of the song, “I love Your voice, You have led me through the fire. In darkest night, You are close like no other…” often tearing up before she could get through the verse. Misti lived in the goodness of God no matter the situation.
Misti was welcomed into heaven by her grandparents Norman and Marie Powell, grandfather Loyd Mitchell, nephew Dean Powell, Aunts Dorlinda Heiney and Sharon Cook, Uncles Mike Powell, Leonard Newby, and Jake Gross and cousin Jakie Gross, along with her beloved student Caylyn Newby. Left to celebrate her legacy here on earth are her husband, Dustin and children Eli, Jonah, Sadie, and Henry; her parents, Larry and Pam Powell; mother- and father-in-law Calvin and Wanda Cooper; her siblings Lisa Haynes (Jerry Pursifull) and Derek Powell (Haleigh); brother- and sister-in-law Jamie Cooper (Lori) and Mandy Smith (Greg); her grandmother, Mae Mitchell; and her nieces and nephews Scott, Sophie, Maci, Jackson, Oliver, Trey, Peyton, Hayli, Mariah, Faith and Deacon, along with a host of aunts, uncles, cousins, and many, many friends. Mrs. Cooper will also be missed by her present and former colleagues in the Summersville R-II School District and countless souls who were lucky enough to call her Mrs. Cooper as students.
Above all, Misti Cooper was a woman of honesty, loyalty, and faith. She believed in a heaven where all pain is gone, and all sorrow is forgotten, and in a Christ who loves and protects no matter the circumstance. Her favorite Bible verse was Isaiah 40:31, which states: “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Because of Misti’s choice to accept Jesus as her Savior and her steadfast hope in eternal salvation, she is now singing in the angel choir, and while she will be missed by all who knew her, there is comfort in knowing that she is sitting at the feet of Jesus, her strength has been renewed, her scars are now healed, and her pain is gone.
In lieu of flowers, the family respectfully requests donations be made to the Mrs. Cooper Scholarship Fund that is being established in Misti’s memory to help continue her legacy of helping mold the future generations of teachers.
