Eva Lou Cooper, who began at Monongah High with the Class of 1972, moved to Wichita with her family in her junior year.

Since her Lions day, Eva has been a busy woman.

Eva grew up in Little Mill Fall. She recalls “great memories of playing in the creek and exploring freely without fear. I started school in the one-room Davis Ridge schoolhouse at end of hollow. I was in a class with 3 siblings and numerous cousins.”

Her sister Annette owns property on Big Mill Fall Run and gifted Eva with a parcel.

Eva’s father was Golden Cooper, Sr., who purchased Rhea Chapels Church near Mary Lou Retton Park in 1970, a year before he passed away. Her mother was Fairy Ruth Freeland Cooper. The family lived on First Street near Champion Block Company.

“I helped Patsy Forte the Rexall pharmacist” whose store was at the center of the Monongah business district in East Monongah “for years. I walked and delivered to homes for him.”

Eva’s siblings are Harold Cooper, Class of 1967, of Kentucky; Gary Cooper of Ohio, the late Richard Cooper, Robert Cooper of Shinnston, Fairy Millbraugh of Ohio, Marvin Cooper; Roberta Parrack of Ohio, Susan Moffett of California, Sandy McCaskill of Florida, Bonnie Garrett of Shinnston; Annette Ramsey of Fairmont; the late Golden Cooper, Jr.; the late Charles Cooper; and the late Lora Belle Jones.

After Fairy died young after giving birth to their last child, Golden, Sr. married Eva’s mother, Annie Mary Yost of Fairmont. They had seven children Harold, Bonnie , Golden Jr., Eva, Richard, Annette and Robert.

Eva’s neighbors in Monongah included David Gowers, Class of 1971, who lives in Martinsburg.

Eva married her high school sweetheart – Darrell Vincent, East Fairmont Class of 1971. Darrell joined the Air Force and was in the Strategic Air Command and served 10 years before joining the Postal Service in Harrison County.

“I met Darrell in the summer of 1969 at my Dad’s church in Norway (the Rheas Chapel ). It was love at first sight.

“While Darrell was in the Air Force we lived in Mississippi, Kansas and Virginia. We parted ways amicably and are dear friends that travel together to see our grandchildren.”

Eva met her second husband, Mark Altland, in Cape Charles, Virginia while she was in nursing school (she has been a nurse for 38 years) in Nassawadox, Virginia and did her clinicals in North Hampton/Accomack County Hospital. After their marriage they moved to York, Pennsylvania in 1981.

Evan has been a nurse in Healthsouth Rehabilitation and for the last 19 years has done home care for ill children. In 1995 she went to school for massage therapy and she completed a two-year extensive training in the energy field of chakras and correlation of our endocrine system to make herself a better nurse.

Eva has four children: Heather Vincent Niven of Prescott, Arizona and Dustin B. Vincent of Bridgeport by Darrell and Nathaniel Atland of Pennsylvania and daughter Shannon who lives in California by Altland.

Heather is an artist who works in the music business. Eva sent me a photo of Heath with Slash of Guns N Roses, taken when the rock group performed a benefit for 19 firemen that were died battling a California wildfire several years ago.

Shannon has done a lot of commercials and is a stay-at-home mother to her two daughters by husband Mark Hoffmeister, a trailer editor for Adams Sandler’s movies.

Nathaniel and wife Christie and their son River live near Eva in York. Nathaniel a district manager for a pain management company.

Dustin is an engineer for Mark West Company and serves on the Bridgeport city council . Dustin’s wife, Ginny Iaquinta, works at United Health Care Hospital in Bridgeport.

Eva also has eight 8 grandchildren.

She moved to York in 2015 and lives it up with visits to magnificent Sedona, Arizona and Whaley Lake in New York state, where Eva’s friend lives. And manages Light Workers of the Golden Ray in York.