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March 4, 1945 – May 6, 2026 (age 81)

On Wednesday, our wonderful husband, father and grandfather passed away from the effects of Alzheimer’s. Honoring his wishes, we are going to publish the obituary he wrote for himself several years ago:

I was born and raised in Portland, Oregon, the son of Homer Alvin Cooley and Frances Marie Newman, and the brother of Michael Frank Cooley. My brother and I enjoyed being in the outdoors: hunting, fishing, backpacking, and camping. My favorite outdoor place was Yellowstone National Park. In my early years…the 1950’s and 60’s…I had the good fortune of seeing Yellowstone when the crowds were smaller and bear, elk, and moose were everywhere, buffalo were nowhere, and the fishing on the lake was great.

In the summer of 1959, I got my first “real” job, i.e. I got paid to work. I worked for Owens Corning Fiberglass. I, my brother, and my cousin Gary got the job because my dad was a superintendent for the company. For eight weeks, we worked six days per week, ten hours per day. The first five weeks we spent moving bundles of fiberglass insulation from 65 Union Pacific boxcars to the freezer building. The last three weeks on the job were spent spreading cold tar on the walls of a football-field-sized freezer building and papering the walls with foil-covered tarpaper. For all my life I have remembered how much fiberglass itches, and how difficult it is to get cold tar off your body.

At age 16, my father passed away. Mom, the wonderful mother that she was, continued to lead my brother and me…and we followed. I participated in most all sports while in high school and graduated in 1963. After high school, wanting never to repeat my “fiberglass” experience, I enrolled at Oregon State University. I graduated from OSU in 1967 with a BS/EE degree. After four years of college, I decided why not a couple more years at OSU, so I continued and completed a MS/EE degree. In 1969, still not ready to leave school, I enrolled in the new PhD/Computer Science program at the University of Utah. In the summer of 1972, after accepting a job in private industry, I noticed an advertisement for a Computer Science faculty position at Utah State University. An opportunity to stay in school even longer. I could not resist. So, I immediately withdrew my job acceptance, and in the Fall of 1972, came to USU as an Assistant Professor of Computer Science in the department of Applied Statistics and Computer Science. In my first class on the first day at USU, I noticed the most beautiful girl I had ever seen (Nancy Brighton) was in my class. (No, I didn’t ask her out until after the quarter had ended and grades given.)

After dating for a short while, Nancy told me she was not interested in marrying someone who was not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. So, I took the missionary discussions and knew they were true. On June 15, 1974, Nancy and I were married. On June 13, 1975, we were sealed in the Salt Lake Temple for time and eternity.

In 1983, the Applied Statistics and Computer Science faculty in the department were divided into a Department of Computer Science and a Department of Applied Statistics. I was appointed to be the first head of the USU Computer Science Department. For the next 29 years I served as head of the Department. In 2014, after 42 years at USU, I retired. In 2015, Nancy and I served as senior missionaries in the Romania/Moldova Mission. It was an experience we have always cherished.

From my childhood until my death, I have been so blessed in the life my Savior Jesus Christ has guided and protected me through. Nancy and I have lived a life filled with more joy and adventure than we could ever have dreamed. Admittedly, sometimes there was a little more adventure than Nancy would have liked, but I would not have wanted it any other way.

We are the parents of five wonderful children: Kimberly (Mike Reeder), Brad (Amanda Lundhal), Jennifer (Trent Robinson), Lisa (Erik Levanger) and Alison (Blake Burton). We are the grandparents of sixteen wonderful grandchildren, (8 boys, 8 girls).

A good example of the adventures I’ve lived occurred in 2003 on a Yellowstone Lake canoe trip with my son and sons-in-law. Even though there was a fire at the NE Park entrance the Ranger said, “No worry”, so we parked our car at Sedge Bay. Each evening there was an impressive glow to the NE, and during the day helicopters scooped water into buckets and headed NE. When the fire became “aggressive” according to a Ranger, i.e. out-of-control and too close, Park Service personnel came to our lakeside campsite to evacuate us. Unfortunately, our evacuators did not take us back to Sedge Bay to pick up our car. When we arrived at Bridge Bay, I asked why, and they said “because your car is parked in the middle of the fire. For several years our burned-out Ford Explorer was on display at the Grant’s Village Ranger’s office.

In 1972, shortly after I came to USU, my friend, Dave Jolley, and I bought a used aluminum canoe. That canoe has been used many times, drifting the Snake River, Bear River, Green River, Yellowstone Lake, Shoshone Lake, and the Blackfoot River.

Over the years, I have held many callings in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have most enjoyed working with the youth of the Church. Summer youth conferences were special because they almost always included rafting the Snake River. During those years, I led many young men on canoe and backpacking trips. Leading such groups, it wasn’t long before I became known as “Just around the bend Cooley.” Whenever someone asked “how much further do we have to go?”, I would always answer, “It’s just around the bend.”

Being the father of four girls, and one boy, the grandfather of sixteen grandchildren, the eternal companion of Nancy Brighton Cooley, and having an unshakeable testimony that Jesus Christ is my Savior, the Son of God the Father, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Christ’s Church in this, the last dispensation, are the greatest joys of my life.

- Don Cooley

He is survived by his wife, children and their families, sisters-in-law, Mary Cooley, Deanne Brighton and Christi Brighton, brothers-in-law, Dean Brighton and Ace Davis, and many loved nephews and nieces. He will truly be missed.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 16th at 12:00 PM at the Nibley Stake Center, 3701 South 450 West in Nibley.  A viewing will be held from 6:00-8:00 PM on Friday evening, May 15th at White Pine Funeral Home, 753 South 100 East in Logan.  Another viewing will be held prior to the funeral on Saturday from 10:30-11:30 AM at the church. Interment will be in the Millville City Cemetery. The funeral will be livestreamed and can be accessed by clicking the link below:

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