Gisela "Giggi" Anneliese Rolle Cooper
Gisela Anneliese Rolle Cooper (Giggi)
Gisela Anneliese Rolle Cooper (Giggi), 69 of Draper, Virginia, lost her tough battle after 23 days on the ventilator at Lewis Gale Hospital in Salem, Va. Giggi was born on January 16, 1956 in Prüm, Germany. She is survived by her husband William Brent Cooper of Draper, Virginia. One son Thomas Brent Cooper and Monica, and children Alicia, Jimmy, Billie and Timmy, of Pulaski, Virginia.
One brother Günter Rolle and Edith of Prüm, Germany. She also leaves a niece Birgit Rolle Krönert and Uwe and family also of Prüm, and a nephew Frank Rolle and family of Dublin, Ireland. She was preceded in death by her parents Artur and Eva Rolle of Prüm, Germany.
Giggi had too many interests to even list. Anyone who knew her would agree she never met a stranger. She has literally made new friends in the checkout line. She liked to go shopping almost daily, often making her rounds at Food City and other locales. She was a skilled bargain hunter who viewed it almost as a sport. She knew where all the deals were. She had a sharp mind and could remember the price of items from years ago. She was great with mental math and could collect a cart of groceries and say within cents what the total would be. She loved pets, especially her cats.
She was a voracious reader, having read and collected an impressive number of both German language and English language books. She loved to trade books back and forth with friends, although not too many were interested in the German books. She was an avid gardener who tended a large vegetable garden each year and had flowers growing in every nook and cranny. She was a passionate cook who liked to can vegetables from the garden and bake delicious cakes. She shared her recipes with many people, especially her German dishes. She also loved travelling, especially trips back home to her beloved hometown of Prüm. Giggi always had a lot of energy and held some sort of job, beginning in her teens, where she waitressed in a German bakery and cafe.
In the U.S. she worked at Jefferson Mills in Pulaski, Va, and Trim Systems in Dublin, Va. Finally she decided she wanted to try business, so she purchased the local Curves fitness center for women and operated it until she retired.
Anyone who wants to do something to honor Giggi's memory should make friends with a stranger, show compassion, love animals, flowers and nature. If you want to make a donation, consider an animal shelter, or just a little help to a friend in need.
Funeral services will be held 11:00 AM - Saturday, February 22, 2025 at the Bower Funeral Home-Chapel, Pulaski. Interment will follow at the Memorial Christian Church Cemetery, Draper.
The family will receive friends one hour before service time Saturday at the Funeral Home.
