Amy Renae (Jensen) Cooper

Amy Renae (Jensen) Cooper was born on July 28th, 1973, in Sioux City, IA; she was the eldest of 3 beautiful daughters born to Leonard and Patricia (Gran) Jensen. Amy was Baptized in Christ on September 9th, 1973, affirmed her faith in God; Father, Son and Holy Spirit October 25th, 1987, and died in faith Friday, July 14th, 2023, at home in Eagle Grove, IA.

She graduated high school as valedictorian from East Monona High School, Moorhead, IA in 1991. Amy graduated from Wartburg College, Waverly, IA with a BA in Christian Education/Youth Ministry with honors in 1996.

During her high school and college years, Amy spent summers working at Christian summer camps, and in 1995, she met Jason Cooper of Richmondville, NY at Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp in Story City, IA. Jason and Amy were married on July 6th, 1996.

Amy served in a number of roles over the course of her life; Amy worked as a youth minister in Camus, WA, a secretary at Midland Lutheran College in Fremont, NE,  a church secretary at Emanuel Lutheran Church in Strawberry Point, IA, and worked as a school secretary at Robert Blue Middle School in Eagle Grove, IA. Amy loved to serve as a Sunday School teacher/super intendent and Vacation Bible School coordinator. She also had great passion for HS speech, encouraging everyone to give it a try.

While these jobs and service ministries gave her great satisfaction, her vocational calling was as pastor’s wife and devoted mother. Amy and Jason were blessed with 3 children: Maia Ruth (Cooper) Romero (Russell), Jensen Bianchine Cooper and Evan Daniel Cooper. Amy instilled in each of her children a love of God and a desire to serve others in the name of Christ Jesus. Amy’s favored pastimes included building Legos with her boys, watching shows with Maia, attending her children’s Speech events, cheering the boys on in sports, and vacationing with family— especially camping/boating.

In 2017, Amy was diagnosed with cancer. She was determined even in the darkest times during treatment to “let her light so shine before others that they would see her good works and glorify God.” Time after time Amy would share a smile and words of encouragement on social media. It was her desire that friends, family, and stranger would see a child of God walk through the valley of the shadow of death— not with fear, but faith— because of God’s love and grace promised through Christ Jesus; Savior of the world.

Survivors include her husband, Rev. Jason Cooper; daughter, Maia Romero (Russel); sons, Jensen and Evan all of Eagle Grove; parents, Leonard and Patricia Jensen of Soldier; sisters, Cheri Blair (Darin) of Omaha, NE and Kristie Neddermeyer (Shawn) of Webster City; mother-in-law, Ellen VanValkenburgh (Leroy); brothers-in-law, Eugene Cooper (Claudia) and Joshua Cooper (Heather); sisters-in-law, Melissa West (Richard) and Megan McMillion (Patrick); grandma, Ruth Jensen of Mapleton and all her aunts, uncles cousins, nieces, nephews and friends.

She was preceded in death by her grandfather, Wilbur Jensen; grandparents, Merrill and Shirley Gran and father-in-law, Eugene Cooper, Sr.

Memorial services will be held on Saturday, July 22, 2023, 11:00 a.m. at Eagle Grove Evangelical Lutheran in Eagle Grove with Rev Solveig A. H. Zamzow, officiating - will be livestreamed on the Eagle Grove Evangelical Lutheran Church facebook page.  Visitation will be from 10:00 a.m. until service time at the church. Burial will be Friday, August 4, 3:00 p.m. in the Soldier Lutheran Church Cemetery, Soldier, Iowa.

Memorials may be directed to the family ~ they have established a memorial scholarship for Eagle Grove High School and would like to sponsor Camperships for Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp.

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