Gladys Heger Cooper

Gladys M. "The Avon Lady" Heger Cooper, 74, of Sioux City passed away unexpectedly Sunday, Nov. 5, 2006, at a Sioux City hospital.

Services will be 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Boniface Catholic Church, with the Rev. James A. Bruch officiating. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery. Visitation will be 2 to 8 p.m. today, with the family present 6 to 8 p.m. and a prayer service at 7 p.m. with the Rev. Bob Dillman of Southern Hills Baptist Church officiating., all at Meyer Brothers Colonial Chapel. Condolences may be sent online to www.meyerbroschapels.com.

Gladys was born March 20, 1932, in Bloomfield, Neb., the fifth daughter of Henry "Hank" and Emma Hannah (Ermels) Jensen. She graduated from high school in 1949, in Crofton, Neb.

She married Joe C. Heger on Dec. 24, 1950, in Hartington, Neb. The couple moved to Sioux City and had resided there since 1953. It was there, they raised their four daughters and were active in the community. She was preceded in death by her first husband of 52 years, Joe, who went to heaven on July 2, 2002.

Upon arrival in Sioux City, she worked at Swift and Co. for a short time. For the next several years, she was a stay at home mom. In 1967, she began her career of 40 years as an Avon sales representative and loving chauffeur to her daughters. During that career, she built a loyal client base of which several became close, personal life long friends.

On April 9, 2005, she married Dennis L. Cooper. She attended Southern Hills Baptist Church with her new husband.

She had been a member of St. Boniface Catholic Church for many years. She was an avid seamstress and sought great pleasure out of making clothes for her whole family as well as her personal wardrobe. She was particularly known on the professional side for making entire wedding party ensembles.

In addition to her children, she enjoyed the companionship of several wiener dogs, which began her life long passion and love of animals. Some of her other pastimes included traveling, baseball, cooking for special family gatherings and coffee clotchin'.

Left to cherish the many loving memories of her include her loving husband, Denny; four daughters, Linda Nelson of Sioux City, Dianne and her husband, Steven Schwartz of Redondo Beach, Calif., Sandra and her husband, Mark Hinds of Las Vegas, Nev., and Laurie and her husband, Bruce Cier of North Las Vegas, Nev.; two stepsons and their wives, Mike and Laurie Cooper of Sutherland, Iowa, and Mark and Susan Cooper of Norfolk, Neb.; two sisters, Helen and her husband, Cy Mischke of Crofton, Neb., and Lucille Brown of Dallas, Texas; 13 grandchildren, BJ (Robert), Misty and her fiance, Eddie, Theodore, MacKenzie, Liz, Staci, Sarah, Nicholas, Stefan, Erin, Levi and Brady; a great-grandchild, Laycoln; several nieces and nephews; and a granddog, Tahiti Sweetie Schwartz of Redondo Beach, Calif.

She was preceded in death by her parents; and two sisters, Elmira and Evelyn.

Pallbearers will be John Streeter, Richard Cooper, Danny Bursell, Gerry Schulte, David Schulte and Eddie Motz. Honorary pallbearers will be Steven Schwartz, Robert "B.J." Nelson and Theodore Gooch.