Phil Cooper, Karen Cooper, Harold Cooper, Cathy Clark, and Steve Cooper stand behind Millie and Don Cooper.
For Don and Millie Cooper, a lifetime together has been filled with family, friendship, faith and adventure. Now, the couple is creating a legacy that will support their church for generations to come.
The Coopers recently established the Don and Millie Cooper Fund at the Scott County Community Foundation to support capital improvement projects at Scottsburg United Methodist Church. The permanent endowment reflects their gratitude for the church and the community they have called home for 50 years.
“We’ve been active members at SUMC ever since we’ve been in the community,” shared Don. “We wanted to support them after we’re gone.”
Millie added, “We want the fund to go on forever.”
The high school sweethearts celebrated their 73rd wedding anniversary on Oct. 4. Married in 1953, they both grew up on farms and attended small high schools.
“She’s the only one I ever dated,” said Don.
Their family has grown to include five children, Steve Cooper, Cathy Clark, Harold Cooper, Phil Cooper and Karen Cooper, along with 10 grandchildren, two step-grandchildren, 11 great-grandchildren and two step-great-grandchildren. Along the way, Don and Millie have shared a love of travel, visiting all 50 states.
Neither was originally from Scott County. Don worked for Woods Equipment as district sales manager for southern Indiana and western Kentucky, while Millie was a homemaker. They lived in Knightstown, where their friend Verle Pearcy served as president of the bank. After Verle and his wife, Doris, moved to Scott County, where he became president of Scott County State Bank, the Coopers followed in 1976.
Don and Millie immediately began attending Scottsburg United Methodist Church and soon found other ways to connect with their neighbors. They became involved in Scottsburg Kiwanis Club in 1977.
“That’s the way you got to know people,” Don said of his decision to join.
Millie and Doris Pearcy also helped other families find their place in the community by starting a Newcomers Club, which they led for about 10 years. With the establishment of the Freudenberg factory bringing new families to Scott County, the club offered an opportunity to build friendships through monthly pitch-in dinners at members’ homes.
Millie also became involved in Scott County Extension Homemakers and enjoyed completing sewing projects for the fair.
Those connections helped turn a new town into a lasting home. Through their endowment fund, the Coopers will help care for the church that has been part of their lives since their arrival. The fund’s principal will remain invested, providing an ongoing source of support for capital improvements at Scottsburg United Methodist Church.
“The community has been good to us,” shared Don.
With the Don and Millie Cooper Fund, they are expressing that appreciation through a gift that will continue serving their church long into the future.
The Scott County Community Foundation helps donors turn their charitable goals into lasting support for the causes they care about. Since awarding its first community grants totaling $50,000 in 1997, the Foundation has awarded more than $7 million in grants and scholarships to support local students, nonprofits, and community initiatives. To learn more about giving or establishing a fund, visit www.scottcountyfoundation.org or call 812-752-2057.
