Mary LaVern Cooper

Sunrise: July 22, 1955
Sunset: July 9, 2025

Mary LaVern Cooper — known to many as Sister Mary — passed away peacefully on July 9, 2025, surrounded by the love and prayers of her family. She was 69 years old. 

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Born on July 22, 1955, in Martinez, California, Sister Mary was the beloved daughter of Lloyd Cooper and Mary Ethel Boughton. She was raised in Richmond, CA alongside her siblings, where she first began to blossom into the vibrant, faith-filled woman so many came to love. Eventually, she made her home in Woodland, CA before settling in Vacaville, CA.

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In her early years, she attended schools in Richmond, CA. Sister Mary furthered her studies at Yuba and Woodland Colleges, majoring in nursing. She earned an Associate of Arts in Business and worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant at Good Hands In Home Care in Fairfield, as well as a Claims Examiner with Blue Shield.

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Sister Mary’s real ministry happened beyond the workplace. A woman of deep, unwavering faith, she explored many denominations before choosing the Fairfield Seventh-Day Adventist Church as her spiritual home. There, she taught Sunday school, sang in the choir, mentored young women, and threw her heart into events that uplifted fellow women and clergy. She was just as comfortable volunteering at the voting polls as she was leading the youth in worship—and her presence left a lasting impression in every room she entered. Her banana bread, sweet potato pie and potato salad were local legends, winning her second place in the 2022 pie competition and first place in the 2024 dill potato salad contest at church. Her green thumb was equally legendary—everything she touched grew, including the people lucky enough to be in her life. 

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Sister Mary had a special gift for making everyone feel loved. Her favorite way to respond to every “I love you” was, “I love you more!” She adored hummingbirds, jazz, fishing, traveling, and spending time with her family. 

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Sister Mary is survived by her daughters: Yalanda “Gert” Mims, Jeanette Mims Breed (Ephrain Sr.), and Rosezetta Upshaw, Esq.; her grandchildren: Porsche Wiggins, Timothy Mitchell III, A’nyelah Breed, and Ephrain Breed Jr.; her great-grandchildren: Timothy Mitchell IV and A’layah Fleming; and her brothers: Gregory Cooper (Elaine), Larry Cooper (Cheryl), Winter Thompson, and Willis Johnson; and a host of cousins, nieces and nephews.

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She was preceded in death by her beloved parents: Lloyd Cooper and Mary Ethel Boughton; her husband: George Washington Turk; her brothers: Gary Cooper and Quintin Jones; her sister: Phyllis Bruce; and her nephews: Lance Moore and Phillip Breaux. 

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Her final messages to her family were filled with the same love and conviction that guided her life: 
“Please talk to Jesus daily. Please have a relationship with Him. You have to know Jesus for yourself. My children... all my children, please ask for the gift of repentance.” She also left a simple, but powerful reminder: “I want you to read your Bible.”

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Sister Mary’s journey may have come to an end, but her love, her strength, and her words will live on in the hearts of all who knew her. 

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A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 10 at Fairfield Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 1101 East Tabor Ave, Fairfield, CA 94533 at 11:00 a.m.

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