Barbara Cooley

Barbara Ann Cooley

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Barbara Cooley in February 2025, at the age of 96, surrounded by her family.

A 7th generation Californian, Barbara was born in September 1928 in the Santa Clara Valley to Herbert and Norma (née Harper) Crabb. At a young age, Barbara and her sister, Dorothy, lost their father to an illness, and the family relocated to a nearby farm to be raised by Norma and her cousin Maude (née Haight) and her husband Michael Roche, whom Barbara lovingly referred to as Nana and Papa.

Barbara excelled in high school studies and graduated with honors and a scholarship to San Jose State College. After college, she taught school in the mountain community of Burney, California, where she met and married her husband, Jack, in 1951. They ultimately settled in Boulder, Colorado in 1963, where they raised seven children.

She loved her friends and stayed close to many through her church at Sacred Heart of Jesus, and with her bridge and walking friends for over fifty years, finally folding her cards in 2024. Barbara loved reading and crossword puzzles, and never lost her love of travel, especially to warm, sunny beaches.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Herbert and Norma Crabb, Maude and Michael Roche and her husband, Jack Cooley.

She is survived by her sister Dorothy; sons Mike, Matt, Patrick, Kevin, and Brian; daughters Kathleen (McComb) and Maureen (Rockwell); daughters-in-law Sharon, Susie, Annemari and Beth; sons-in-law Chris and Ken; ten grandchildren, fourteen great-grandchildren, and several loving nieces and nephews.

Although Barbara is gone, she will live in our hearts forever.

A private service for the family will be scheduled later this year. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation to Trailwinds Hospice in Boulder, Colorado

(https://trailwindshospice.com.)