MELVIN "FLOYD' AND MARTHA E. KOCH COOPER

 Melvin “Floyd” Cooper was born on August 29, 1891 in Abbotsford, St. Clair County, Michigan to Franklin and Anna Dean Cooper. He married Martha E. Koch 1913 in Wheeler, Gratiot County, Michigan. Martha was born October 31, 1896 in Grand Rapids, Wood County, Ohio to Jacob and Caroline S. Schuff Koch.

Floyd and Martha had the following children:

1.  Anna Caroline Cooper was born October 3, 1913. Anna married Jerome Dupre.

2. Dorothy Cooper was born in June 29, 1916. Dorothy married Clyde Erwin Jensen. Clyde was born August 21, 1902 in Greenville, Montcalm County, Michigan to Samuel P. and Myrtie Jensen. Clyde died on December 18, 1978 and Dorothy died on July 2, 1987 and they are both buried in the Lakefield Township Cemetery.

3.  Ellen Mae Cooper was born March 15, 1919 in Lakefield Township. She married Ralph Euler and married for a second time to Daniel Yancer. Ellen died on June 6, 2001 and is buried in the Lakefield Township Cemetery

4. Franklin “Clair” Cooper was born on March 22, 1923 in Lakefield Township and died January 3, 1963. Clair served his county in WWII. He is buried in the Lakefield Township Cemetery.

5. Donald Richard Cooper was born May 30 1925 in Lakefield Township. Donald was in the U.S. Navy during WWII. He married Winifred M. Ahoe. Winifred was born on August 1, 1924 in Rolla, Rolette County, N. Dakota and died on January 8, 2002 in Saginaw, Saginaw County, Michigan. Donald and Winifred are both buried in Roselawn Memorial Cemetery, Saginaw, Michigan.

Floyd worked for the railroad in Durand, Shiawassee County, Michigan and he also played the violin

In 1916, Floyd and his family lived on a 40 acre farm in Section 10 on East side of South Merrill Road between Swan Creek and Roosevelt Roads. Their neighbors were F.H. Cooper, W. F. Wilson, Jesse Baker, Ed Jubb and Neil Langlois.

The book “Lest We Forget” written by Myron F. Gulick states the following: “A fellow named Floyd Cooper did some mason work and built my outdoor ornaments. He did work on outside chimneys where a fireplace was built. He also built porch support posts for the people who wanted a decorated stone porch with the front built of small, round stones.” Floyd did the stone work on the original stone porch at St. John's Lutheran Church in Marion Springs, Saginaw County, Michigan.

Martha died January 11, 1927 and Floyd died June 22, 1938. They are both buried in the Lakefield Township Cemetery, Saginaw County, Michigan.

As  the custom of the late 1800's and early 1900's, nice farm houses were bare wood and not painted.

Floyd while working for the railroad.