Julia Warren

Julia Cooper Warren, 92, died Thursday, April 6, 2017, at Saint Francis Medical Center in Cape Girardeau.

She was born March 13, 1925, in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, to the Rev. A.B. Cooper and Janie May Lawrence Cooper.

The family later moved to Charleston, Missouri, where the Rev. Cooper pastored the First Baptist Church. Julia was educated in the Charleston public schools and graduated from Charleston High School in 1943. That same year, she married Harry “Joker” Warren Jr., owner of the Charleston Auction Company. Their marriage lasted until his death in October 2013.

An energetic woman with a colorful personality, Julia should be remembered for her decades of contributions to the civic and cultural life of Charleston. She was well-known in political circles as she campaigned statewide for Democratic candidates, particularly for her brother-in-law, Gov. Warren E. Hearnes. Her many contributions to Charleston were honored when she was selected as Woman of the Year in 1966. But most of her contributions were done without fanfare because that was what she preferred.

Many of her civic activities supported education. She was a charter member of the Junior Study Club and a lead organizer of efforts that built the Scout Cabin in Rowling Park. She was a creator/writer/performer/director in many of the club’s annual Style Shows that raised money for the Scouts and other local causes.

She was a leader of Girl Scout troops for 25 years. Her efforts and Charleston Auction Company were responsible for the annual hayrides to camp that many Girl Scouts enjoyed in the 1950s and 1960s. She also funded bringing theater performances to the students in Charleston’s public schools in the 1960s. Julia served as the local chairperson for the celebration of Missouri’s Sesquicentennial in 1971 and for Charleston’s Sesquicentennial in 1986. She was an active member of the First Baptist Church of Charleston, and she was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

Julia worked her entire life in and out of the home. She worked for her husband’s Charleston Auction Company and helped start the Storming Bull Restaurant, Flagstop and the Red Barn Antiques, businesses that brought many jobs to the city. From her 60s until her retirement, she managed the Charleston Inn and Restaurant, which she owned with her husband.

Julia had a keen wit and an exceptional memory that made many locals continue to call on her for information about Charleston’s history, even in her later years. She had an eye for beauty and style that she used in helping with many receptions and weddings for family and friends.

Perhaps Julia will be most celebrated for her expertise as a cook. Anyone who ate her cooking could testify she had a gift in the kitchen, and she generously welcomed scores of guests to her dining table over the decades.

She is survived by three daughters, Pam Crawford, Jamee Shelby (Clay) of Charleston and Dr. Lisa C. Warren of Salem, Virginia; three sisters, Betty Cooper Hearnes of Charleston, Jane Cooper Stacy of Cape Girardeau and Dr. Rose Marie Jordan of Greer, South Carolina; nine grandchildren; 15 great-grandchildren; two great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Harry “Joker” Warren Jr.; her parents, the Rev. and Mrs. A.B. Cooper; son, Harry Warren III; grandson, Gregg Crawford; two brothers, Allen A. Cooper and Dr. James F. Cooper; and two sisters, Dr. Jennie Cooper and Velna Cooper Brown.

Memorials may be given to the Scout Cabin, c/o Junior Study Club, P.O. Box 53, Charleston, MO 63834, or to A.B. Cooper Ministries, c/o SEMO Baptist Student Center, 909 Normal Ave., Cape Girardeau, MO 63701.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until time of service at 11 a.m. Monday at the First Baptist Church of Charleston. The Rev. Gerald Collier of Jackson and the Rev. George Nite, pastor of First Baptist Church, will officiate. Interment will be in IOOF Cemetery, under the direction of McMikle Funeral Home.

Online condolences may be shared at www.mcmiklefuneralhome.com.