My Maternal Grandmother - Isabell Church Cooper

This personal history was written by Bell: 

Isabell Church Cooper was born July 28, 1893 at Three Mile Creek located three miles north of Panguitch, Utah. She was born in a little Danish house down by the river. She was the daughter of Robert Robbins and Charlotte Emily Talbot Church. The day she was born, the roof blew off the little house. She was the sixth of thirteen children. Her brothers and sisters were: Mary Emily, Robert Robbins, George Newman, Charlotte, Sarah Ann, Rhoda, Abraham Arterbury, John Dunning, Verda, William Wallace, Haden Wells, and Lydia. They were a very kind and loving family, and Bell loved them all very dearly. Bell's mother was a hard working woman. She was an immaculate housekeeper and an excellent cook. It was said that the threshers always tried to make an overnight stay at their house as she fed them so well. Bell said of her father, "Father was the best-natured man I ever saw. I don't suppose he ever had a fault. We always thought he was just perfect. He was so gentle and kind to everyone he met." Bell and the other Church children grew up in the Deward Woodard place in Spry. They went over to Tropic and got a load of trees. They planted the trees around the lot, and they are still growing there. Bell's father would put in the crops in the spring, and then would go away to shear sheep. Her mother would irrigate the crops, milk cows, and make butter and cheese while Mr. Church was gone. Mr. Church would come home and farm the rest of the summer. They always raised their winter's wheat, meat, butter, cheese, potatoes, vegetables, etc. so they didn't have to spend much money for other things they needed.

They lived at "the dear old farm," as Bell referred to it, until most of the children were born. Mr. Church then traded it to Mr. Joseph Beckstrom for a ranch in Little Valley and a home in Panguitch at 189 West 200 South that Bell and Than later lived in. Every year they would go to Dixie for a load of fruit. Her mother would trade butter, cheese and homemade soap for the fruit. Primary was held in their home. Mrs. Church was the Primary President. The neighbor children would come from all around. As the family grew up, they went to Panguitch for school and church. When Bell was six years old, she sang in "The Old Hall." She sang, "If I had Been Made a Rooster." She still remembered and could sing the song in 1973 at the age of 80.

Bell's first school was Mrs. Neilson in 1900, in The Old Elementary School. (The school was torn down in 1972.) Bell would ride a horse to school and leave it to feed at Bill Talbot's place until school was out. Later they rented a home in Panguitch, and would move there in winters. Mrs. Church would spend about a week white-washing and scrubbing the houses they lived in. Bell could always remember how they would put down a rag carpet with straw under it and it would crackle under their feet. She also remembered when they would fill the old factory straw ticks for the bed. What a grand and glorious feeling to be moved to town in such splendor. When Bell was twelve years old, she was set apart as a choir member. She was blessed with a very beautiful voice. She was able to sing both alto and soprano. She knew so very many songs, and always taught them to her own children. Bell was also very good at poetry, and most of her children can still remember several of the poems and songs she taught them in younger years.

Bell attended the first High School. It was called The Dell Webb High School. Mr. Webb was the only instructor, and there were about thirteen class members. This was in 1910. When Bell graduated from the 8th grade, she was chosen to teach school in Hatch Town, Utah. While teaching in Hatch Town, she made many life-long friends, both young and old. She always cherished these friends very dearly.

Isabell Church - far left

On July 4, 1913, Bell married Than Cooper. Their first child named Thad, was stillborn some nine months later. They were very sad to lose their first little child. Eleven months later, their daughter Grace was born. Bell's father passed away when Grace was six weeks old. That was a very sad day for Bell, because he was so very dear to her. Than and Bell were blessed with eight children: Thad, Grace, Gwen, Jim, Jean, Grant, Mae and Fae Ann. They were all very dear children and musically talented. Both Than and Bell were very proud of them. Bell loved to make the girls lovely dresses and fix them up. She loved to have them take part in church and society. Bell did a lot of sewing for different people in Panguitch to help supplement their meager income. One winter she took thirteen old woolen coats apart, and re-made them into lovely, warm coats. Bell's children, and many of her little granddaughters, were always some of the best dressed in town, due to her beautiful sewing. There could never be too many ruffles and lace on her lovely hand-made items of wear.

Than and Bell were away from each other a great deal of their married life. Than was a sheep herder and spent most of his time at the sheep herd. Bell would take the children, and spend most all of her summers at the herd with Than. She always enjoyed being with him. He was a good, hard-working man, and a good husband and father. There are very few women who loved their husband any more than Bell did hers. She thought he was so handsome and she loved him dearly.

Life was not always easy for Bell. They had very few luxuries when she was raising her family: No running water in the house, no hot water heater, and very little money to make life easier for them. But, Bell never complained. She was always singing and humming, no matter how hard life was for her.

Bell took an active part in life. She sang in about every funeral and program that was ever held in Panguitch. She sang for many years with her dear sister Lydia Lassen, until Lydia moved away, then Bell sang with about everyone that ever sang. That seemed to have been her life's calling. She served as a counselor in the Stake Primary Presidency and counselor in the South Ward Primary Presidency. She served as Stake MIA, Stake Primary Chorister and Relief Society Chorister. She served as Daughters of Utah Pioneers Counselor two different times, and was Regional President of the DUP for one year. Bell always did an outstanding job at all of her callings.

Bell rode horses until she was 62 years old when she had the misfortune of breaking her leg. She was helping Than move the sheep camp and had just climbed off her horse onto a stump. The stump gave way and she fell and broke her leg. She had to have surgery on it, and there was water and blood on the knee, so her knee was stiff from that day on. This was a tragedy in her life, and she had to give up many of the activities she was used to doing. When she was in the hospital, several of the men and ladies she had taught in Hatch came to see her. They told her she was the best teacher they ever had in school. This made her feel very good. She loved teaching school, and made so many wonderful friends in Hatch. She was so distraught at her injury, that she almost gave up many times.

She was given a Patriarchal Blessing and was told that she should keep on making people happy with the beautiful voice she had been blessed with. This seemed to help her a lot, and she did again start singing and taking part. She sang with the choir, and then a group of ladies, under the leadership of Mrs. Porter, sang together. They formed a "Rhythm Band." At first they just did it for rhythm, but it grew and sounded so good that they added a new instrument occasionally, and they became quite famous. Bell played the bazooka and drum, which she was very good at. They played for many programs and "little dances." It was said that they helped make money for the Primary Associations of both the North and South Wards. At one time they helped raise well over $1,000.00 which, I am sure was much money at that time. This band tradition continues today and is now known as the DUP bazooka band. They can been seen and heard performing on the DUP float during the Panguitch 24th of July celebration parade.

DUP Bazooka Band - Pioneer Day Parade

Bell took her two youngest daughters to California to live in about 1940. Fae Ann had a bad hip problem, and the family thought that the warmer weather climate would help her. Jim and Grant worked at the ship yards there, and Grace and her husband George Young lived there at the time. Grant was drafted into the army (World War II) soon after, so they went back to Panguitch in November, 1940. Grant was sent to Germany, where he was in General Patton's Third Army, in the thick of the battle. This was a terrible worry to Bell. He wrote her every time he could so she wouldn't worry so much. She promised the Lord that if he would bring Grant safely home, she would never touch tea or coffee again, which she never did to her dying day. He did come home safe, and she was ever so thankful to God.

Bell and Than celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary at a family gathering in Salt Lake City in 1963. Than passed away in August of 1970. Bell was very saddened at his passing. She went to the St. George Temple the following year, and was sealed for time and eternity to Than. This was very fulfilling for her. She always loved Than so.

Grant, Gwen Grace, Bell, Than, Jean, Mae and Faye at Golden Wedding Anniversary

Words cannot adequately express the very wonderful person that Bell was. She was an inspiration to all who ever knew her, especially her children. There could never have been a more wonderful, compassionate, caring, and loving mother and wife as Bell. Her grandchildren always loved her very much, and love to talk about her and what a loving grandmother she was. What an example to all of her family she was.

Bell almost 85 years old

Bell went through a very hard time in the last year of her life. She was confined to the Panguitch Hospital which made her very sad. She had to have two of her toes amputated, then her leg became infected with gangrene, and they were contemplating the amputation of that. She was taken to Salt Lake City to the Holy Cross Hospital on March 19, 1979. On March 22nd, she passed away - a night before the amputation was to take place.

Bell lived a long life of 85 years, and loved it very much. May her memory live on forever in the hearts of her dear family, and many friends. I feel sure that God would say to her, "Well done, my good and faithful servant."