Roberta Mae (Laskey) Cooper

Roberta M. (Laskey) Cooper of Wells, Maine, formerly of West Medford died from complications of breast cancer surrounded by her loving family on September 5, 2025 at York Hospital in Maine. She was 90. She graduated from Medford High School, Class of 1953.

Roberta is the 7th of nine children of the late Helen M. (Vigneau) and Herbert “Bob” Laskey. Devoted wife of the late Kenneth W. Cooper, Jr. who died in 1984. Cherished mother of Cindy and her husband Frank Perella, Kerry and her husband Bob DeStefano, Gregg Cooper, Kris Cooper and the late Kennie Cooper who died in 1978. Adored Grammy of Brittini Cooper Dang and her husband Tommy Dang, Colin Cooper and his fiancé Tamra McAnespie, Stephanie and her husband Allen Gray, Samantha Cataldo, Mikayla Perella and her fiancé Ryan Engelhardt, Emma Cooper, Dr. Kenneth Cooper and his girlfriend Maddy, David Cooper, Bobby DeStefano and his wife Caitlin, Andrea Linkkila and her husband Tony. Loving great-Grammy of Henry, Charlie, Teddy, Brooke, Rebecca, Joshua, Kole, Emilia and Conor. Dear sister of Claire Frye and the late Margaret Blakely, Robert Laskey, “Sonny” Laskey, Edith Carroll, Alfred Laskey, Helen Bourinot, Peter Laskey. Survived by many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, great-nephews, cousins and dear friends. Predeceased by her husband George Shoemaker.

Roberta and Ken grew up in West Medford, she lived on Temple Street, he on Circuit Street. She was six, he was seven. They started dating in high school and married on June 12, 1955 sharing 28 years of marriage until Ken’s sudden death at the age of 49 in May of 1984.

Roberta had many exciting ‘careers’ in her lifetime. She worked as a secretary in the insurance and advertising fields. She was President of the New England Guild of Puppetry when Carroll Spinney aka Big Bird & Oscar the Grouch from Sesame Street fame was a member. She put on Puppet Shows, making all her hand-held puppets, sold homemade baked goods out of her house on Hammond Place, catered the weekly luncheons for the Medford Rotary Club meetings, cooked a roast beef dinner banquet for over 350 Medford Youth Council softball player’s at the Medford Armory in 1973. Roberta and Ken opened Cooper’s Grand Slam Subs and Pizza on Winthrop Street. She also opened Cooper’s Homestyle Cooking and Cooper’s Kitchen.

After Ken’s death, Roberta moved to Wells, Maine where she did prep-work for Lord's Harborside Restaurant. She was elected to the Wells Library after standing outside in the rain with her little sign asking for votes on Election Day. She volunteered at the Wells Urgent Care when it newly opened. She worked at Ben’s Market on Atlantic Ave during the busy summers. In 1990, she opened Grandma Talks Turkey a quaint eat-in/take-out Restaurant on Route 1 in Wells, offering ‘all things Turkey’ along with her delicious baked goods.

In 2006, Roberta signed-on to be the cook for “Soup’s On” at the Wells Congregational Church on Route 1. She was blessed to work with amazing volunteers who gathered weekly to offer a much needed place for people to enjoy warm fellowship and free meals. She shopped for the ingredients on Mondays, prepped all the foods on Tuesday and cooked 150 meals on Wednesdays. Roberta cooked for Soup’s On until 2014 when a torn tendon in her ankle needed surgery forcing her to retire at the age of 79.

Funeral Services will be Privately held in West Medford.

For anyone wishing to honor Roberta, donations in her name may be made to the Soup’s On program at Wells Congregational Church, PO Box 759, Wells, Maine 04090 or to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105.

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