Randall Wayne Cooper

Randall Wayne Cooper, 58, of rural Kellogg, passed away at his home Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2018. A celebration of life will be at 11 a.m. Wednesday, Jan. 17, 2018, at the Wallace Family Funeral Home and Crematory in Newton. The family will greet friends from 10 a.m. until the time of service. Memorials to the Jasper County Animal Rescue League may be left at the funeral home.

Randy, the son of Ralph and Saundra (Nichols) Cooper was born Dec. 14, 1959, in Grinnell. He attended Marshalltown High School and later received his GED from Big Bend Community College. Randy joined the U.S. Army in 1977, and retired in June of 1995. While serving he was stationed in Texas, Oklahoma, South Korea, Germany and North Carolina. He was also a veteran of Desert Storm.

Randy was united in marriage with Constance Rawson May 3, 1993, in Dillion, S.C. Following his retirement, he and Connie made their home in Kellogg. Randy was employed at Manatt’s Inc. for 22 years, with 15 years as a plant manager for Grinnell Ready Mix. He was proud of his military service to his country. Randy loved motorcycles, photography and camping. He was an avid Moto GP and NASCAR fan. He also enjoyed spending time with family and friends. Randy was a long time member of the Elks Lodge in Newton.

Those left to honor Randy’s memory are his wife, Connie; two beloved cats, Jacy and Gixxer; his mother, Saundra Tharp of Marshalltown; brother, Michael (Linda) Cooper of Monroe and Shannon (Brenda) Gear of Newton; his mother-in-law, Marjorie Rawson of Pennsylvania; sisters-in-law, Candy (Jim) Kull of Pennsylvania and Cindy Rawson of Ohio; and his aunts, uncles, nephew, nieces and cousins. He was preceded in death by his father in 1961; his maternal and paternal grandparents; father-in-law; and several aunts, uncles, and cousins.