Louise (Martens) Koop, 93, went to be with her Lord and Savior October 15, 2022. She was born April 23, 1929, in High River, Alberta, Canada, the daughter of Cornelius Isaac and Louise Jenny (Schultz) Martens. Later they moved to Matsqui, British Columbia, Canada.
On Saturday at 2:43 pm August 19, 1950, she was married to her sweetheart, Ira Nathaniel Koop. This was at the Mennonite Brethren Church in Matsqui, British Columbia, Canada. They moved to Fairview, Oklahoma, where they started their family soon after. They relocated to Big Bow and then Ulysses, Kansas, where she and Ira became involved in farming.
She became a wife, mother, Sunday school teacher, and became involved in the Mennonite Brethren Church of Ulysses, Kansas.
She had five children, Carol, Janice, Ivan, Ed, and Tim. While raising her kids, she was always at home on the farm, helping with the farming and cooking for their hired hands. She was a hard worker, and butchered 50 chickens the day before Tim was born. She grew magnificent gardens, which she canned, and raised chickens for her family. She always made sure all of her family was in church on Sunday and Wednesday evenings. She also was a 4-H mom to all her kids. Later in life after the kids were gone, she became a cook for four years at the Grant County Senior Center.
She was known for inviting people from her church over for Sunday dinner. She shared her heart through her cooking. She had the gift of hospitality. She became very well known for her lemon meringue pies. She was a Deaconess in church, where she shared many of her tea rings at Christmas time. She was friendly, strong, frugal, and one of the most forgiving individuals around. She could’ve taught a class on how to save money. She accepted Christ as her personal savior at the age of 13 and was baptized. She loved the Lord, Ira, and her family very much. She will be greatly missed by all her family and friends.
She is survived by her children, Carol Burnum and husband Randy of Ulysses, Janice Wilson and husband Stanley of Dodge City, Ivan and wife Sheila of Ulysses, Ed and wife Anita of Olathe, and Tim and wife Tracy of Ulysses; 16 grandkids, 22 great-grandkids, and seven great-great-grandkids.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Cornelius and Louise Martens; husband, Ira Nathaniel Koop, and son-in-law, Tom Keaton.
A celebration of her life was on Friday, October 21, 2022, at 2:00 PM at the First Baptist Church in Ulysses with Pastor Steve Swann, Jr. officiating. The service was live streamed on Garnand Funeral Home facebook page. Interment followed at the Ulysses Cemetery. Visitation was on Thursday, October 20, 2022, at Garnand Funeral Home in Ulysses, Kansas. Memorial contributions may be given to the First Baptist Church for Operation Christmas Child in care of Garnand Funeral Home, 405 W. Grant Ave., Ulysses, KS 67880. Condolences may be posted at www.garnandfuneralhomes.com.
