Katherine Cooper

Katherine ("Kathy") Sue Cooper, of Tahlequah, Oklahoma, passed away on Friday, July 26, 2024 at the age of 69.

Kathy was born on November 29, 1954 to John C. Cooper and Verna S. Dye Haney. She graduated from Dewey High School in 1973. She began working for Jane Phillips Medical Center after graduation. In 1975, she married Robert ("Bob") H. Fox. Together, they welcomed two children into the world: Justin Wayne, in 1977, and Faith Ann, in 1980.

Kathy spent decades working hard to provide for her family, which she cherished more than anything else in this world. For many years, she worked in medical billing, where many of her coworkers became her second family. Kathy was known to all as a loving, selfless woman who would do anything for anyone.

Later, she became a proud grandparent. Kathy was known affectionately as Nanny Kathy, or NK, to her two grandchildren, Ashlee Kane, who was born in 1997, and Colin Neil, who was born in 2000, and her great-grandchild, Emma Jayne, who was born in 2020. Her grandchildren were the light of her life and she loved, perhaps more than anything else, cheering them on in all of their endeavors and spending time with them.

Following her divorce in 2005, Kathy lived life to the fullest. She loved to go on long drives, whether to Chouteau, Oklahoma for her favorite treats or Pittsburg, Kansas to show her family where she grew up. Never one to worry about material things, Kathy enjoyed the simple things in life. Her favorite things to do were visiting with family, watching old Western movies, playing FarmVille, and drinking an ice-cold Pepsi. She especially liked to play cards and dominoes with her girlfriends.

Always bubbly and outgoing, she loved to tell stories about helping her dad with cattle when she was growing up, traveling across Oklahoma and Kansas with her children who showed livestock, and having fun with her girlfriends in high school. She would tell anyone who would listen how proud she was of her grandkids and how much she loved her family.

A loving mother, grandmother, and friend to many, Kathy never let a day go by without telling her children and grandchildren how proud she was of them. Kathy cared deeply about all of her friends, near and far, and she always stayed in touch with them to check on them. She also loved to reminisce with her cousins and her extended family.

Kathy is survived by her son, Justin Fox and partner Valerie Kulpit; daughter, Faith Benningfield and husband Jack; granddaughter, Ashlee Fox and partner Ethan Green; grandson, Colin Fox and partner Amber Johnson; great-granddaughter, Emma Fox; and brother, Charles ("Chuck") Haney.

She was preceded in death by her dad, John Cooper, and her stepmother, Margaret ("Gay") Cooper; her mother, Verna Haney; and her brother, William ("Willie") Haney.

Graveside services will be Friday, August 2, 2024, 11:00 AM, at Park Hill Cemetery in Park Hill, Oklahoma by Hart Funeral Home of Tahlequah.

There will be no viewing or visitation.