Happy Birthday, Dideo

Dideo Cooley was someone you simply did NOT mess with. That statement can be made for any Cooley, but I digress. Marvin DeForrest Cooley was born October 14, 1919 in Des Moines Iowa to Edward Marvin and Ethyl Mae (Johnson) Cooley. Dideo was the second of four children born to the couple. He was educated in Des Moines public school system. After graduating from high school, Dideo would marry his high school sweetheart Bessie Colbert. Their first child, Marlene was born while the couple lived in Des Moines. When the family relocated to Chicago, a second daughter Cheryl was born. Seeking a greater life, the Cooley's relocated to Los Angeles in the mid 1960's. We celebrate the memory and love of Dideo on what would have been his 90th birthday.

Aunt Mac

One of the many good things that happened on the trip to Des Moines, was a visit with Aunt Mac. It has been almost fifteen years since I've seen her. It was nice to sit and talk with her, though I must admit I had little to say. I think I was more in awe. That doesn't happen often to me, but when I have those "quiet moments" I know I am supposed to be still and absorb. That's exactly what I did. I wanted to take in every detail of the visit. I was happy to spend the time with my grandmother's sister. Thanks to Cousin Larry for making this happen.

Cooley - Johnson Family Reunion 2009

I did not take pictures this year, but I did find someone that did. Of course I did what I'm supposed to do -- make copies and share them here. The young ones in these pictures are the great-great-great-great grandchildren of Lacy and Aggie (Lewis) Cooley, John and Nancy (Crouden) Johnson. The family continues to grow. Looking into these young faces, you can see characteristics of relatives from the previous generations. The one thing each one of us possesses is the "Cooley Spirit of Independence." Long before Frank Sinatra, each one of us could say we did it, "my way." Looking into the eyes of this generation, I see things that remind me of myself and other relatives as well. It's safe to say it's genetics. The kids had a great time and the adults enjoyed themselves as well. Cousin Armon provided a feast second to none. This one man cooking machine set one incredible table, filled with so much delicious food! Other family members contributed, but the majority of the food was prepared by him. Another family tradition continues -- good cooks. I will place Armon in the ranks of all the other good cooks in the family.

Timmy and Larry

I have a great amount of love, respect and admiration for this man, my cousin. If you have ever had a person to stay in your life, with all your ups and downs, then you most certainly can relate to what I'm telling you. My cousin Larry is that person. That's my dude. Much has been said about him. Hell, a lot has been said about me. At the end of the day, who cares? We're family and that's all that counts. Not taking no for an answer, Larry and his son Justin drove to Minnesota to get me. He made a way for me to attend the family reunion this year. I stayed with Cousin Larry and his family. I enjoyed each moment I spent with them and the other relatives. As I have been known to say, "A fun time was had by all." To my cousin, my buddy, my friend, "Thank you."

Reunion News...

I'm not sure if this has been made clear, but I'll try. At this point, Armon is not requesting any help with the reunion meal. He has the menu planned and is ready to prepare it. There are options available for those that don't eat pork products. He does have one request for the family. Beverages and ice will be needed, so I'd suggest bringing that. I have some news -- I won't be able to attend this years reunion. I'll need someone to take pictures and get them to me. Thanks.

Happy Birthday, Michael!!!

It's one day late, but I have to acknowledge the birthday of one of the family members. Michael celebrates "the last of the forties" birthday. Like Tony, next year he will walk into the fabulous fifties. Michael is the grandson (and youngest grandchild) of Edward and Ethyl (Johnson) Cooley. His parents are Frank and D. Maxine (Cooley) and the brother of Kevin. Though a day late, I wish him much peace, many blessings and an abundance of love.

The Cooley-Johnson Family Reunion 2009

I still haven't found what I'm looking for, but I did find this. This is one of four flier/announcements I created for the family reunion. The day of the mailing I could not locate them. I put together something completely different and mailed it out. I like this one, but I'll be damned if I'm going to do a second mailing. If you click on the picture, you'll be able to see a larger size. I look forward to the family reunion each year. I enjoy being with my family, sharing old stories and creating new memories. Armon has shared with me the plans for the reunion this year. This brutha is proving he knows what to do. I like that. On behalf of the entire family (yeah, I'm speaking for ev'ry last one of them), THANK YOU, for taking charge and pulling this together. I am proud my cousin stepped up to the plate and is making it happen. Much love and much respect!

Miss Fine and Beautiful

I was telling my friend, Rodney about MY cousin (on Dad's side) Tyra. After I told the story, and he busted a gut laughing, he suggested I share it here. Picture this, it's the 90's and Tyra Fowler was at the top of her game. Being a hair stylist was a natural way for her to express her creative side. Between weaving, braiding, cutting and COLORING, she could take the most jacked up head and make it hot as fish grease. With that said, let me tell the story. I don't remember the actor, but it was the early nineties and this brutha had colored his hair. It worked for him and I thought it would work for me. I wanted to be current with the latest trends and asked Tyra to hook me up. She agreed and the appointment was made. On the appointed day, Miss Fine and Beautiful (that was my nickname for her) applied the permanent color to my hair. She said it would take a little time for the color to take effect. We sat and talked, laughed and did what we normally would do -- enjoy the other's company. After an EXTENDED period of time, it was time to head to the bowl. Tyra was quiet throughout the entire process. That was odd, but I didn't push the issue. Tyra placed a towel over my head and said, "Uh, it's not quite the way you wanted it, but I can fix it." [Sidebar -- my cousin was one helluva stylist. She was human, which means she made mistakes.] Every man, woman and child knows those are not the words you want to hear when someone is working on your hair. As a matter of fact, those would be fightin words. I said, "What does that mean; you can fix it? Is it that bad???" I looked in the mirror with a towel covering my hair. I had no idea how it looked. Actually, I was scared to look. Tyra didn't want to keep me in suspense any longer and snatched to towel from my head. It wasn't quite as RED-ORANGE as Lucille Ball's hair, but it wasn't too far off. I had a color that would not work for me. Hell, that wouldn't work on any Black person. Maybe if they were a circus performer and that's pushing it. "Oh my God! I look like Lucy! This is NOT what I wanted, Tyra! I can't go to work tomorrow looking like this!" Miss Fine and Beautiful flashed her mega-watt smile and said, "We'll cover it with a black rinse. It will be slightly darker than your normal hair color, but no one will notice." Hey, I was in no position to argue. At this point in the game I was willing to try anything. Once the rinse was applied and my hair was dried, I took a look in the mirror. In a matter of minutes, I was transformed from "Lucille Ball" red-orange hair to "Elvis Presley" jet black hair. I liked both of them, I never, never, never, never, NEVER wanted my hair color to be like theirs. She did as she said, she "fixed" my hair. I was satisfied. I wish that was the end of the story, but it's not. A few days later (I don't remember the exact number -- it may have been a week) I washed my hair. Bending over the sink to wash my hair, I opened my eyes to see the jet black shampoo in the sink. My temporary hair color was proving to be that -- temporary. It was quickly going down the drain. I PANICKED!!! I had not looked in the mirror, but felt I had washed all the "Elvis Presley" from my hair and it was the bright shade of "Lucille Ball" I didn't want. After some hesitation I looked into the mirror to assess the damage. I was totally surprised. Some, but not all of the black had washed out. I thought it looked good. I walked around with that feeling for a few days. I liked the results and Tyra commented on how it looked. "I like the color of your hair. That works for you." Everyone was happy as pigs in shit. You know happiness is just a state of mind. The next time I washed my hair more of the black rinsed out. So much, that the red begin to come thru in a way that did not work for me. It was too damned red for me. I phoned Tyra in a panic and told her I needed an emergency haircut, a.s.a.p. and p.d.q! When she saw me she said, "Oh, the black rinse didn't stay in your hair as long as I thought it would." "No shit, Sherlock! Start cutting," I said. Miss Fine and Beautiful was able to "make the best a bad situation." Without going bald, she cut my hair low. My greatest fear was eliminated -- I COULD go to work the next day. From that point on it was just haircuts -- nothing more. I was done with trying to be trendy or current with hair color. I want to thank Rodney. Had we not laughed our asses off when I told him this story (with a special shout out to Dad, for the receding hairline which prompted the telling of this story), there would not have been this post today. "HEY RODNEY, this was a good idea. Thank you, thank you, thank you."

Edward Marvin Cooley

I never met my great-grandfather, but I feel as though I know him. He died a little more than six months before the world and my family were blessed with ME. Grandpa Cooley was born August 4, 1894 in Coaling, Alabama. My family was so large, the small town was known as "Cooley" because there were so many Cooleys living there. From Coaling, the family migrated to Missouri and finally settled in Enterprise, Iowa. This is where Edward met Ethyl Johnson, the woman who would become his wife and mother to four of his children. My great-grandfather was a coal miner for many years. An accident in the mines severed a part of his leg. With a settlement he received for his injuries, he purchased a small grocery store, "Cooley's" in Des Moines. A door may have closed, but a window opened. Grandpa and Grandma Cooley worked hard in the store. Grandma Cooley, being a woman with a loving spirit and generous heart, would not allow her neighbors to go hungry. Though the customers would have little or no money, Grandma Cooley would extend them credit for their purchases. A fine idea, but credit purchases do NOT pay the bills. Within a few short years the store closed. Down, but not out, Grandpa Cooley continued to provide for his wife and children. No deadbeat father here - no sir. As I stated, I never met him but feel like I know him. Much of the values he instilled in his children they instilled in theirs. Of course that continued to the next generation and so on and so on. On this day, on what would be his 105th birthday, I honor his memory with this post. Happy Birthday, Grandpa Cooley.

Cooley-Johnson Family Reunion 2009

It's official. We have a date, location and a time for the reunion this year. Armon confirmed the details this morning. We'll gather at the Martin Luther King Park, 1650 Garfield Avenue, Des Moines, Iowa. EASTSIDE, BABY!!! Put a big red circle around September 19th on your calendar. Everything will kick off at 2:00pm, with dinner being served between 3-3:30pm. There will more information mailed out soon. Feel free to send me an email with your contact information. I want to ensure all the family is "in the know" for the reunion. A fun time will be had by all.

Here's Kevin

I enjoy doing research about the family and sharing it with everyone, but I think everyone knows this. I've got something I'd like to share with you. I've made contact with a cousin I haven't seen in years. Y'all know I will track a Cooley down!!! I'm still working on finding Uncle Curtis' family in Detroit, but I digress. I was surprised this afternoon to find/connect with Cousin Kevin. Let me tell you about him. He is the son of Frank and D. Maxine (nee Cooley) and the grandson of Ethyl and Edward Cooley. Cousin Kevin is doing well and living in northern California. This is great news. It's been several, many and quite a few years since we've seen each other. The picture of the three of us, Kevin, his brother Michael and yours truly, was taken when we celebrated my sixth birthday. That was back in 1972. We have gotten older, lived life and learned a hell of a lot. One thing has remained the same -- I love my cousin. I think he looks like Dideo. It would be nice if he could make to this year's family reunion. Sidebar -- I have news about the 2009 Cooley-Johnson Family Reunion. There will be another post containing the latest information. Stay tuned...

Someone Is Turning Another Year Better

Once upon a time, a long time ago, there lived a little girl in the Brewster Projects in Detroit, Michigan. Oh wait, that's not this little girl. That's another diva. This young lady here had her life change the moment she saw The Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show. When she saw John, Paul, George and Ringo perform she was hooked. She knew it's what she wanted to do. With encouragement from family members, she took music lessons. Those lessons would prove valuable later in life. They provided her the opportunity to travel throughout the world and meet various people in the entertainment industry. "All I want to do is play music." That's been her mantra for years. Find your passion in life and live it! Make it a reality. I learned that from her. On this day, I would like to extend a birthday greeting. Happy Birthday Cheryl. Much happiness today and everyday.


"...and the passion for the music continues!"