Mary Lou Cooper Fox
Mary Lou Cooper Fox was born Oct. 19, 1935, in Strawberry Plains, Tennessee, to Horace Eugene Cooper and Betsy Irene (Pruett) Cooper. She received salvation as a teenager at Bells Campground Baptist Church in Powell.
A graduate of Powell High School, she married Lloyd Carl Fox in December 1955. Together, they established a loving home in Claxton.
From an early age, Mary Lou displayed remarkable vocal talent and a deep love of music. She earned a place in the Tennessee All-State Choir during her youth. As an adult, she sang alto with The Spring Hill Quartet and the Bill Moore Trio, and she was a featured artist on the album “Sentimental Season” (StowTown Records).
Above all, Mary Lou was devoted to serving others. She assisted with children’s Christmas dramas at Spring Hill Baptist Church, and helped develop the Vacation Bible School program at Emmanuel Baptist Church in Claxton. Her card ministry brought encouragement and hope to many.
Passionate about missions, she sponsored a Native American child in Arizona through adulthood and instilled in her children and others the importance of missionary work. Her greatest mission, however, was her service in the dietary department at Shannondale Nursing Facility and Assisted Living, where she brought double portions of kindness and care to hundreds of residents. She also prepared Wednesday evening meals for families at Grace Baptist Church in Karns.
In her later years, she became affectionately known as “Miss Mary.” She was known for her radiant smile and her frequent, heartfelt declaration, “The Lord has been really good to me.”
In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Lloyd Carl Fox; son, Lowell Fox; niece, Susan Appleing; and brother, Jerry Cooper.
She is survived by her daughters, Shelby Fox Haun and Karen Vaulton, both of Claxton; a host of grandchildren and great-grandchildren; a great-great-grandchild expected in September; brothers, Connie, Kenneth and James Cooper; and special nieces, Pat Foreman and Tina Carroll, whom she served as an honorary mother.
The family extends thanks to dear friends Doug Hatmaker and Larry and Ginny Wise, and to the staff at Ben Atchley State Veterans Home in Knoxville for their loving care and support during Miss Mary’s final days.
The family received friends from noon to 2 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12, 2026, at Bells Campground Baptist Church in Powell, follwed by a funeral.
Interment followed at Bells Campground Cemetery.
Holley-Gamble Funeral Home is proud to be serving the Fox family.
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