December 30, 1921 – May 30, 2020 (age 98)
Mae Marguerite (Platt) Coover passed away May 30, in Missoula, Montana, of natural causes. She was 98.
Mae was born December 30, 1921, in Oelwein, Iowa, to Hazel (Horning) Platt and George Gould Platt. She was the third of five children who all grew up on a farm where her parents ran the Oelwein Nursery, supplying horticultural goods and services in a five county area . Mae loved the farm life along with all the animals including her dogs, pony and two Belgian stock horses.
She graduated from Oelwein High School and studied landscape architecture at Iowa State College (now Iowa State University) in Ames, Iowa. While in college, Mae met and fell in love with Mervin Potter Coover whom she married October 17, 1942, in Oelwein, Iowa. Shortly after the wedding, the couple boarded a train and headed for Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri.
This would be the first of many moves in their long and happy marriage of 70 years. The next stop was Camp Abbot, Oregon, followed by Fort Lewis, Washington (where daughter Frances was born). After WWII, the young family moved to Schenectady, New York (where daughter Teresa was born) to begin Merv’s lifetime career with the General Electric Company. This career would take the family from Scotia and Burnt Hills, New York to Idaho Falls, Idaho (where son Mervin was born); Radnor and Berwyn, Pennsylvania (where daughter Aris was born); Decatur, Alabama; Pass Christian, Mississippi; Cincinnati, Ohio, and San Jose, California.
Mae was a woman of many talents. She designed three of the homes her family lived in, including a timber frame home, and took advantage of her landscape architecture skills to create beautifully tended flower and vegetable gardens surrounding each new home. No garden was complete, however, without plenty of feeders for the local birds as Mae was a dedicated birder throughout her life.
She was also an excellent chef, specializing in canning, baked goods (her homemade bread and cinnamon rolls were a family favorite) and fabulous spreads for the many gatherings she and Merv hosted in their homes.
Mae also loved back packing, camping, road-tripping into little known areas of exceptional natural beauty, skiing, and hunting. As long as it was outside, she was all in!!
In addition to her roles as loving wife and mother, Mae spent many hours volunteering in each new community she and Merv moved to. She took the lead on dozens of environmental, human health, educational, government and community betterment campaigns ranging from school board elections to highway beautification. In Pass Christian, Mississippi, while driving along the beach front one day, she noticed city workers about to cut down a live oak tree. She jumped out of her car and ran to the tree’s defense, standing between it and the workers – and prevailed! Thus began her campaign, with the help of many others, to save the live oak trees that graced her stretch of the Mississippi Gulf Coast. She also chaired the project of the local garden club to landscape the high school.
In San Jose, California she organized Vacation Bible School for the youngsters of her church and began a span of many years in which she and Merv hosted International Students in their home for everything from Interim Studies to Thanksgiving dinners.
After Merv retired in 1982 and the couple moved to Cache Valley, Utah, Mae was able to deepen her commitment to serving her community and national life. In Logan, Utah, Mae was a moving force in saving the historic town hall, park and knitting mill. She supported her community by serving on the Providence Planning and Zoning Commission, and by attending and advocating at many town hall meetings in Logan. She and Merv underwrote the start-up of the food bank and became deeply involved in Habitat for Humanity, the Audubon Society, Hospice of Cache Valley and The Stokes Nature Center. Together, they joined other concerned citizens as volunteers with People for Wise Water Management, Citizens for the Protection of Logan Canyon, Bioneers, and many activities having to do with fighting climate change. In fact, Mae attended her final climate change rally less than a year ago at the age of 97. Mae was also active in church life no matter where she lived and at First Presbyterian Church in Logan she worked with other church members to introduce Earth Sunday to the congregation as a way of focusing on the Biblical mandate to care for creation.
In 1987 Mae received a “Women Over 65 Lifetime Achievement Award” from the Utah State University Women’s Center which recognized “her tenacity and perseverance as she monitored the small decisions and actions that slowly eroded the integrity of our natural surroundings and residential communities.” And received special thanks for “her superb role-modeling of vision, conviction, assertions, stamina and courage as she challenged the status quo to protect what so many of us take for granted.” Still going strong in 2002, Mae coordinated a protest rally in defiance of the looming war in Iraq.
Mae always felt she was blessed and counted amongst her greatest blessings were the many wonderful friends she made throughout her life. Included among them were the exceptional caregivers who took such good care of her in her final years both in Bellevue, Washington, and Missoula, Montana.
Mae is survived by her four children, daughters; Frances Coover, Missoula, Montana; Teresa Kragnes (Kermit) Alton, Missouri; Aris Kihara (Michael) Edmond, Oklahoma; and son, Mervin Platt Coover (June) Lopez Island, Washington. She is also survived by six grandchildren, John Kragnes (Kathy), Austin Coover, Andrew Coover (Will), Aris June Coover, Ayden Kihara, Logan Kihara, and two great-grandchildren, Aihla Coover and Aris LaRie Coover. Mae is also survived by her sister Aris Montgomery of Greeley, Colorado, and her brother, Robert Platt of Kennewick, Washington, and is preceded in death by her husband, Mervin Potter Coover, brothers Lloyd and Dean Platt, and grandson, Kermit E. Kragnes.
In lieu of flowers, the family encourages donations to Stokes Nature Center, PO Box 4204, Logan, Utah 84323-4204, in honor of Mae’s participation in founding the Center and her life-long devotion to the natural world. Alternatively, donations may be made to the Iowa Arboretum, 1875 Peach Avenue, Madrid, Iowa 50156 where memorial trees have been planted in honor of both Mae and Merv.
Plans for a memorial service will be delayed due to safety concerns surrounding the COVID-19 virus.
Condolences and memories may be shared with the family at Brothers Mortuary