11/30/1983
Services for James Howard Cooley, 59, Sturgis, S. Dakota, who died Nov. 30, 1983, in Fort Meade VA Hospital were held on Dec. 5 at the First Presbyterian Church in Sturgis.
Kinkade Funeral Rome was in charge of arrangements.
The interment was in the Black Hills National Cemetery, with military graveside services in the Cemetery Chapel by the
South Dakota National Guard.
Mr. Cooley was born on Feb. 10, 1924, in Knoxville, the son of Floyd and Josephine Cooley. He grew up and attended school in Knoxville,
and then joined the Merchant Marines.
He served in the U.S. Army during World War II and moved to Sturgis after the war and worked at Fort Meade.
He married Wilma Trohkimoinen at Sturgis on Feb. 1, 1947. He worked fit Homestake Mining Co. and attended Black Hills State College.
They moved to Maryland for two years where he attended the University of Maryland and then lived in Iowa for several years.
In 1954 he began Working for the South Dakota National Guard.
They lived in Hot Springs from 1957 to 1962, then returned to Sturgis where he continued working for the National Guard.
He was a member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
He was preceded in death by his father and one grandson.
He is survived by his wife; four sons, David and Jay of Denver, Kent of Brookings, and Jon of Sturgis; three daughters, Mrs. Tom (Lynn) Archuleta of Littleton, Col., Dee Blair of Rapid City, and Mrs. Tim (Maury) Anderson of Sturgis; one grand-daughter; his mother of Knoxville; two brothers, Vernon of Knoxville and John of Arlington, Va.; three sisters, Marthabelle Pickart of Lakeland, Corrine Compton of Key Largo, Fla., and Joann Presley of Ames.
A memorial has been established for the Shrine Crippled Children’s Hospital and Shrine Burns Center.