Mary Lou Lunt Cosper left this world on April 16, 2019 at the full age of 94, surrounded by her children.
Although born in Lordsburg, NM, Mary grew up in the area surrounding the Duncan Valley and in Morenci, Arizona. She came from a long line of Arizona pioneers and she continued to exhibit this pioneering spirit throughout her life.
Quite the beauty, Mary was small and petite but mighty. Mary was a majorette at Morenci High School, won oratory awards and played Emily in the play “Our Town." Mary loved all things classical, whether it be music, prose, or dance. She majored in humanities during the 1940s at the University of Arizona.
Mary wed Edward Thomas Cosper in 1947. Shortly after their marriage, she took a job as secretary to the general manager of Phelps Dodge in Morenci, AZ and was the first female ever to work down in the open pit mine. She took great pride in that.
They raised their children in Phoenix, AZ. Mary was a Public Stenographer and operated a business out of her home. She was known to prepare documents on her typewriter well into the evening and again in the early morning hours, and the clickety-clack of the keys was often the last thing her children heard before they went to bed and the first thing they heard upon awakening. The kitchen table was often covered with work and the family pitched in with stapling papers and addressing and stamping envelopes.
An early adopter, Mary purchased a computer in the mid '80s, had an iPhone when she was 90, and was into health food before it was fashionable. While her children were growing up, she made them eat whole grain bread (they secretly wanted white bread), oatmeal for breakfast (they not so secretly wanted sugared cereal) and made gallons of yogurt using a slow-cooker and heating pad. Her children far outgrew her in stature, so perhaps it worked.
Mary and Edward retired to Silver City, NM in the 1980s and lived in their home on “W” Mountain, surrounded by pinon pine and juniper. Mary was an avid gardener and relished in growing prize tomatoes and lemon cucumbers in her green house. The spring found her planting bulbs and looking for those first blooms on her fruit trees. She made copious amounts of nectar for her hummingbirds and always kept a trough filled with water for the deer and bunnies. They delighted in being able to travel extensively in their later years and even took a cross-country trip in their VW Van.
Incredibly knowledgeable, Mary often beat the contestants to the questions on Jeopardy. She remembered every significant date and had an encyclopedic mind. But a snob she was not. She was as comfortable watching Wuthering Heights (the original version, thank you) as she was watching Dumb and Dumber with her grandchildren. She enjoyed family poker nights and was especially lethal at low-ball. No one could have ever characterized Mary as “speedy”; however, although she sometimes appeared to move in slow-motion, she always reached her destination. She was, without doubt, deliberate and tenacious.
Edward preceded her in death in 2018 after nearly 71 years of marriage. Mary is survived by her daughter Deborah Ann Cosper-Hughs (James Edd) of Silver City, NM, daughter Katie Cosper (Roque) of Las Cruces, NM, son Randall James of Tucson, AZ, son Joel Edward Cosper (Alexis) of Dolores, CO; grandchildren Katie Beth, Brodie, Tyler, Jack Toles; great-grandchildren Joshua, Olivia, Ayla, Jakob, Miles; step-grandchildren Christopher, Noemi, Temple; step-great-grandchildren Maxwell, Roque, Celine, Tazio; and her brother Don Lunt (Josephine), as well as numerous beloved nieces and nephews.
We are especially grateful for the wonderful care that she received at Haciendas at Grace Village assisted living facility over the past year.
Cremation has taken place through La Paz - Graham’s Funeral Home and a celebration of life will be held in Luna, NM in June. “I’ll find you in the morning sun and when the day is new, I’ll be looking at the moon, but I’ll be seeing you.” (In lieu of flowers, please consider donations to the Alzheimer’s Association or any other charity that supports Alzheimer’s research.)