Alma Hooper

Alma Inez Hooper, 86, a longtime Casa Grande resident, died on Jan. 26, 2011, in Phoenix.
Visitation will begin at 9 a.m. Monday at First Presbyterian Church. The service will follow at 10, with the Rev. Dr. Ben Seller officiating. Burial will be in Mountain View Cemetery.
Mrs. Hooper was born on April 16, 1924, in Bristow, Okla., to Wesley J. and Grace M. Wofford. She moved to Coolidge in November 1925. After graduating from Coolidge High School in 1942, she worked for a year in Detroit. In 1943 she moved to Los Angeles, taking a job at the University of California at Los Angeles and worked with the Army Corps of Engineers on what was to be known as the Manhattan Project. She received a commendation after World War II for contributing to the development of the first atomic bomb.
She married Edwards Y. Hooper Jr. on July 8, 1945. She worked for the Casa Grande Dispatch from 1959 until 1964, then was corporate secretary and bookkeeper at Erwin, Erwin & Lamar insurance agency for 10 years, retiring in 1975. From then until 1996 she was a partner and financial officer for her family’s farming operations in Pinal County. She and her husband played a vital role in many charitable organizations and were an important part of the community. She was a 65-year member of First Presbyterian Church. She also was a member and past president of Epsilon Sigma Alpha sorority and a member of Oasis Garden Club.
She was preceded in death by her husband of 52 years, in 1997, and a son, J. Blake Hooper, in 2010. Survivors include three sons, Dr. Edwards Y. Hooper III of Phoenix, Roger Hooper of Green Valley and Bruce Hooper of Casa Grande; two brothers, Royce Wofford of Rocklin, Calif., and Basil Wofford of Odessa, Texas; a sister, Dee L. Cross of Tooele, Utah; 10 grandchildren; and 10 great-grandchildren.
Memorial contributions may be made to Seeds of Hope or Against Abuse Inc.
J. Warren Funeral Services, Cole & Maud The Gardens Chapel is in charge of arrangements.