Sandra Cooley

Margaret Sandra Smith Cooley, our amazing mom, grammy, grandma, sister, aunt, and friend passed away in her sleep in the early hours of March 14, 2022.
Sandra was born in Heber, Wasatch County, Utah on January 27, 1941. She was the youngest of four children born to Sylvan Louis and Margaret LuVera Smith Smith. Sandra took the place as the baby of the family from her sister Louise who was 10 years her senior. From day one, Louise has been Sandra’s best friend. Louise was there at birth, and was there at the end. Theirs is a relationship to be envied.  Louise tells how she begged for a baby sister and how happy she was when she saw Sandra’s beautiful face for the first time.
Sandra attended the Central Elementary School and Wasatch High School. She was involved in 4-H, and remembers riding her bicycle from Heber to Midway for swimming lessons.  She had so many friends and remembers playing yard games and “Sheena of the Jungle” under the willow tree in her front yard.  In High School she was involved with Pep Club, Debate, Student Council, Chorus, Assembly Committee and Prom Committees.  She had so many friends from Heber- she often shared stories of Marilyn, Norman, and “The Gang”; Mary Rae, June, Joyce, Patty, Carolyn and Karen.  She was an honorary member of the Grace and Fred Veibell family, and was called Sandra Veibell by her own mother because she spent so much time with that wonderful family – including Marilyn, Joyce and Julie.  She remembers fondly taking a trip to Wayne Wonderland (Capitol Reef) with Veibells.
Sandra worked in her mom’s cousin Camille Clegg Miller’s motel making beds and cleaning rooms and helping Camille in the beauty shop- learning about cosmetology. Her life in Heber was as good as it could be, but she longed for the big city.
After Graduating from Wasatch High in 1959, her bishop Harold Smith encouraged her to follow her dream of becoming a beautician and offered to help pay for her tuition to attend Darrel’s College of Beauty in Salt Lake City. She and best pal from the gang Mary Rae moved in with her sister Louise and Neil Draper and worked hard to graduate. She loved being a beautician and was hired out of school to work in the Beehive Beauty Salon in downtown Salt Lake City on Social Hall Avenue. The owners of the salon, sisters Fern Ballard and Beth Whitney had never hired an employee- but with Beth needing time for her family, they hired Sandra on the spot.
When Fern and Beth’s niece Helen Banks Robinette came to visit one day, she felt that Sandra would be a perfect date for her cousin Grant. She quickly arranged a blind date, and the country boy from Palmyra, Utah fell in love with her and they married soon after, on April 29,1966 for time and all eternity in the Salt Lake LDS Temple.
Sandra and Grant started their family and had six children- Michele, Annette, Lynette, Paul, Mark and Heather. Sandra managed the Cooley home efficiently- always having a weekly meal menu in place and making sure the house was clean and the clothes well mended and laundered. She never lost fun in the work and often had dance contest with her kids, take them to cruise state street, and take her kids individually on special outings.  Sandra was a fun mom and her kids’ friends gravitated to her.
Some of her best friends in her adult life were the neighbors she had on Blair Street. She loved Ila Birrell, Pat Ivie, Lynda VanKatwyk, Peggy Emery, JoAnn Colby, Elfriede Friend, Toni Bakker and LaNola Russell.
To bring in supplementary income, Sandra invited children into her home to care for.  She loved each child she cared for and made them feel like part of the family. She also would offer haircuts and permanents for long time customers. She would keep up on the latest fads and loved her ladies. She had a line of neighborhood gals that would come on Saturday morning for their weekly set combs. Her house often smelled of her delicious chocolate chip cookies and permanent solution.
Sandra and Grant were longtime residences of South Salt Lake. Sandra worked in the Woodrow Wilson Elementary and Central Jr. High PTA presidencies. She volunteered as a room mother and loved being involved with the activities her children were in.
At church she served in Young Women, Primary and Relief Society Presidencies.  She loved serving and gave her callings 100%. She enjoyed being a visiting teacher especially when her companion was her sister Louise.
She was a member of The Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and was so proud of her pioneer heritage. She was a member of the Lee-Wandamere Camps and served in many capacities with that organization.
Sandra decided after her youngest daughter Heather started school to rejoin the workforce. She wanted a flexible job where she could be with her kids before and after school. Sandra was hired by Glo VanRoosendaal to work in the snack bar in the Reams Grocery store on Claybourne Avenue and State Street. She made many friends working as the ice cream and hot dog lady. She made thousands of sandwiches and milk shakes and popped countless bags of popcorn. She loved her Reams family and gained a great friend -Betty Ramey whom she was able to be with the day before she passed away.
Sandra loved to serve others. She would help anyone in need.  She would go help the widows in her neighborhood and made sure they were well taken care of. She would shower them, Clean for them, shop for them and visit with them. Neighbors trusted Sandra enough to give her the keys to their houses. Many times. when dinner was being made, something extra was also prepared for a ward member or neighbor who was in need.
At retirement, Grant and Sandra loved to travel- vacationing and going on cruises.  Grant was so happy to take her to Hawaii- but when reflecting, Sandra claims her favorite vacation of all time was when they took their kids to Southern Utah and visited Bryce and Zion canyons.
Sandra LOVED music. She wished she could have been a professional dancer. Often, you would walk into her house and she would have her music up loud and she would be dancing around. Without skipping a beat, she’d grab your hand and compel you to dance with her. Even when she couldn’t move well the past few weeks, she’d raise her hands in the air and move them to the rhythm of the beat.
Her greatest happiness came through being a mom and grammy/grandma.  She loved each of her grand babies and great grand babies with all her heart and would do anything for them. The grands will miss her tea parties, dances and the way she made every holiday special with her decorations and meals.
Sandra is survived by her children; Michele (Ed) McKinney, Annette (Rudy) Rank, Lynette Gurule, Paul Cooley (Jason), Mark Cooley and Heather (Rick) Quinn. Also, by her best friend, protector and big sister Louise Smith Draper.
Grandchildren Amber (Chris) Elliott, Skyler Holt, Dylan Holt, Callie Rank, Madeline Rank, Alexander Heath, Ainzleigh Quinn, and Sam Cooley. Tasia (Juan) Carpenter and Patrick McKinney. And 7 great grandchildren. Also survived by the nieces and nephews she loved- The Smiths, The Drapers, The Hansens, The Pintars, The Moons and the Cumings. She loved being called Aunt Sandra.
Preceded in death by her guy- Grant, parents Sylvan and LuVera Smith, sister Luvetta Smith, brother George Ray Smith and a son in law, Darren Holt. Also by her parents in law whom she adored Ed and Ireta Banks.
We, her children want to honor and thank Louise and Neil Draper for being with our mom for 81 years and always looking out for her and making sure she was happy and had what she needed.  We send our love and gratitude to Rod Clift, as well as Cindy and Chris Laird.  When we weren’t there, these three made sure mom was safe and that her yard and social needs were attended to. On behalf of our mother, we want to acknowledge Suzanne Everette who was one of mom’s best friends, and although she lived far away, would call, write notes weekly, and visit every time she came to town.  Suzanne lifted moms spirits many times over the past few months when mom was making tough decisions. Thanks to Donna Wagstaff whose friendship mom cherished.  And of course, the “Gang” and Betty Ramey.
A special thank you to Elevate Hospice Care and especially to Wendy Burr who cared for our mother for the past two months. Our mother loved having Wendy around and felt well cared for – regardless of her stubbornness to take her pain medications.
A visitation with the family will be held on March 20th 2022, from 6:00-8:00 p.m., at The Memorial Murray Mortuary, 5850 S 900 E. Murray, UT 84121.  Funeral services will be held on Monday, March 21st, 2022 at 11:00 a.m. and another visitation from 9:45-10:45 a.m., prior to the funeral at the Wandamere Ward Chapel – 304 East 2700 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84115.Interment at the Memorial Holladay Cemetery – 4900 South Memory Lane, Holladay, Utah 84117.
To view services remotely, please use the following link https://zoom.us/j/8015660221
Family members will be able to give you the passcode.
Service Information
Viewing March 20, 2022 at 6:00-8:00 PM
Memorial Mortuary, 5850 South 900 East, Murray, Utah 84123





Viewing March 21, 2022 at 9:45-10:45 AM
304 East 2700 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84115





Funeral Service
March 21, 2022 at 11:00 AM
304 East 2700 South, Salt Lake City, Utah 84115