Tonnie Faye Cooper, 78, of Panama City, FL passed away on Saturday, June 20, 2026 in Boiling Springs, South Carolina. Tonnie was born on December 29, 1947 in Andalusia, AL to Carl Greil Chesser and Mildred Shaddix Chesser. Tonnie received her degree in Education from Montevallo College in 1969. She then began her teaching career and was a proud Bay County school teacher for 38 years. Tonnie was beloved as a school teacher and was often stopped by her current and past students who were often amazed to see her outside of the classroom.

Tonnie was preceded in death by her husband, The Honorable William A. Cooper, Jr, and her parents, Greil and Mildred Chesser. She is survived by her two daughters, Meredith Yoder (Robert) of Boiling Springs, SC and Patricia “Trish” Hogan (Andy) of Athens, GA. She is also survived by her 6 grandchildren who called her “Mama2”; Madeline “Reese”, Caroline, and Samuel ”Sam” Yoder, Kathryne “Cooper,” Charley and Collins Hogan, In addition, she is survived by her two siblings, Kathy Ann Gantt (Danny) and Dr. Bruce Chesser (Joy). She was a beloved “Aunt Tonnie” to several nieces and nephews.

Tonnie was known for her laughter, her great sense of humor and calling it like she saw it. She was a devoted friend and a fierce and loyal mother to her girls. She was dependable, responsible and a woman of her word. She made her home a warm and welcoming environment and rarely was there an evening where the house wasn’t filled with the aroma of that night’s meal. She was proud to be the wife of a Bay County Judge and enjoyed shocking others with the story of how she and her husband “met in court.” She raised her girls to be devoted to the Lord and raised them in church where she could often be found volunteering in various ministries. She was a great lover of reading. She read to her daughters, to her students and to herself. It was not uncommon for her to come home from the public library with a bag of books that would be fully read by the end of the week.

She was the heartbeat of her family and her girls and grandchildren were her greatest joy. She loved her family deeply and would move mountains to get to any of them if they needed her.

Tonnie’s passing leaves a void in the hearts of her family members, but her spirit will live on in every opened door to friends and family and every well cooked meal. She fully believed in loving her people through feeding them. She confessed that God was her Lord and Savior and she was eager for Him to call her home to heaven where she could be with Jesus and reunited with her husband Bill.

Funeral services will be held on June 26, 2026 at 11:00am at the First Baptist Church of Panama City, FL. Interment will follow in the Evergreen Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends starting at 10:00am prior to the service on Friday.