Phyllis June (Reinhard) Cooper passed away peacefully and entered into the Kingdom of Heaven on February 19th, 2024, at the age of 93, surrounded by family.

She was born on June 19th, 1930, to Selma and John Reinhard and grew up in "The Hollow" neighborhood in Wausau at the start of the Great Depression. Phyllis was one of six children, including Marian Feck, Bonnie Gabor, Robert Reinhard, Gerald Reinhard and Rosemary Wetzel.

She met Wesley Cooper in 1947 while working at JC Penney and the two were married on September 4th, 1948. They raised five children born between 1949 and 1965 on Grand Avenue for 25 years before moving to S. 7th Ave for 30 years.

Phyllis was a warmhearted, compassionate, fun-loving, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt and friend. She was a great listener, patient, and witty. Phyllis always knew what to say and never held any judgment. Her generosity, joy, and altruism were contagious. She welcomed anyone with her legendary Grandma's Poppyseed bread. Phyllis created a home full of warmth, love, and unconditional support. She made custom lullabies for each of her grandchildren and spent hours coloring with each of them.

She was a devout Catholic and parishioner of the Church of the Resurrection (St. James) for 73 years. She was humble and private in her faith and had a deep connection to The Lord.

Although she only had an 8th-grade education, she was a lifelong learner and earned her GED in her 40s. She took computer and typing classes and became proficient on her computer and iPad. She loved her jobs at Jackson Furniture and Nigbur Furniture and adored the people she worked with. She was an avid game player, from Scrabble to Yahtzee, and loved crossword puzzles. Phyllis was competitive and hard to beat.

Her card club, "The Circle of Joy", played Canasta and Poker monthly, went on trips to Las Vegas, and formed close friendships that lasted a lifetime. Phyllis is survived by Circle of Joy members Susan Fox, Mary Lou McCarten, and Gigi Malone.

In their retirement, Phyllis and Wesley went on cruises and two European trips to England, Ireland, Scotland, Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. They attended the 70th anniversary in Normandy, France, commemorating WWII D-Day.

She is preceded in death by Wesley, her son Dennis, all her sisters, brothers, and three nephews.

She is survived by and the cherished mother of Timothy Cooper (Shelley Wilker) of Madison, WI, Bill (Jean) Cooper of Weston, WI, Susan Houben of Wilmington, NC, and Lisa Cooper of Wausau, WI.

Phyllis is the treasured grandmother to Chase (Leah) Cooper of Kronenwetter, WI; Chelsea (Mark) Eagan of Victor, ID; Christopher (Sara) Houben, Iwakuni, Japan; Olivia (Timm) Smith of Lodi, WI; Victoria (Tucker) Houben of San Luis Obispo, CA; Phillip Cooper of Wausau, WI; and great grandmother to Cooper Eagan of Victor, ID.

She is also survived by sister-in-law June Reinhard of Medford, MA, many nieces and nephews and cousins on the Kurczewski side.

Services will be on March 22nd at the Church of the Resurrection in Wausau. Visitation will be at 9:45 followed by mass at 10:30, and a private family burial at Pine Grove Cemetery.

Mid Wisconsin Cremation Society is assisting family at this time. Online condolences may be expressed at MWCS.WS.