Marshall “Bud” Cooley

Marshall Marlin "Bud" Cooley, of Eminence, died Friday, October 2, 2026, in Willow Springs, Missouri. He was 82. Bud was born on November 23, 1943, to Lelah Faye (Wilkins) and Bill Cooley, in Eminence. 

He attended Story's Creek School, now displayed at Alley Spring, where he and his twin sister both later claimed to be the proud artist of a horse carved into a desk.

He went on to Eminence High and some college at Rolla, before splitting his time between working around St. Louis and visiting family in Eminence. On those visits, he met Ruby May Branson, who recalled one picnic date featured her o ffering a penny for his thoughts; he had been wondering how tall a tree was. 

Bud and Ruby married on June 12, 1971, in her hometown of Belle, Missouri. 

The couple bought a home in St. Ann, Missouri, where they lived for the next 50 years. There, he was a framing carpenter typically working on luxury homes. 

They had two children, Mary Lynn (Cory) Tetreau of Illinois, and Dennis Wayne (Danielle) Cooley of Maryland. His most frequent version of "goodbye" to them was, "Don't climb trees." But he frequently found reasons to bring his family to worksites, where they were encouraged to climb scaffolding and ascend stairs without rails. He enjoyed whittling and spent hours on carvings while watching his children play outside. 

Bud and Ruby re-settled into Eminence years after retirement. Bud would claim to hunt and donated what he harvested, but was happy to "just go tromp around the woods." He trained wild rabbits to come to his porch for apple slices and kept up with the habits of many other creatures. 

He was preceded in death by his granddaughter, Annabelle Francis Jones; his twin sister, Marilyn Dodson; and his brothers, Gordon and Leon Cooley. 

He is survived by his wife, Ruby, now in Illinois; his children; and his granddaughter, Livia Grace Jones of St. Louis; and grandsons Tybee Maclay Jones and Augustin Chatham Jones of Illinois, and Dexter Douglas Cooley and Desmond Marshall Cooley of Maryland; and by his brother, J.D. Cooley; and his sister, Clara Cooley. 

Funeral services were held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 9, 2026, at Yarber Mortuary, Eminence, Missouri. Visitation was held from 1-2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 9, 2026, also at the funeral home. Graveside services were held at 11:00 a.m. at Francis Cemetery, Byron, Missouri. Memorial contributions may be made to the Eminence Fire Department or the Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation. Condolences may be expressed at www.yarbermortuary.com.