Eva Belle Hooten

Eva Belle Hooten was born August 27, 1940 in Cortez, CO the daughter of William Gottlieb and Emma (Wayman) Koppenhafer. She passed away on Sunday, May 15, 2022 at Larchwood Inns in Grand Junction, CO at the age of 81.
Eva was raised in Cortez and graduated from the Montezuma County High School in 1958. Eva took ballet lessons as a young girl and participated in several dance recitals. She was stricken by polio and spent several months recovering. Although her siblings were all close to or over 6 feet tall, Eva only reached 5 feet 2 ½ inches. For the record, she made sure everyone knew she had that ½ inch! She met Billy Hooten in church and they were married on July 9, 1959. Billy was called back to work at Caterpillar Tractor Company so they moved to Peoria, Illinois. He was laid off again and they moved back to Cortez where their first son was born. They moved to Phoenix where Billy worked construction and then to Arkansas. Billy was called back to Caterpillar. Billy and Eva lived in Creve Coeur where their other two sons were born and remained there until his retirement from Caterpillar after 35 years of employment on March 27, 1986. Billy, Eva and their youngest son moved back to Cortez, where they remained until November 2019 when Billy and Eva moved to Grand Junction.
Eva liked to sew and made shirts for her sons as they were growing up. She also enjoyed quilting and put together several quilts over the years. She has several blue ribbons for her quilts that she had shown at the county fair.
Eva was a Christian and a follower of Jesus Christ when she was quite young and never wavered in her faith in God throughout her life. She was a daily reader of the Bible, a prayer warrior and faithfully attended church until health problems prevented her from doing so. She attended the Creve Coeur Southern Baptist Church where she served as a Sunday School teacher and was a member of the Women’s Mission Union (WMU). At the Cortez Southern Baptist church, which later became the Lifeway Baptist Church, she served in a number of positions to include assisting Billy in his role as the Sunday School Director. There is no doubt, when she went to sleep for the last time she woke up in heaven and in the glory of God.
Surviving Eva are her children, Justin Hooten (Tammy) of Cortez, CO, Ellis Hooten of Clifton, CO, and Damon Hooten (Tawnie) of Aurora, CO; 8 grandchildren; and 18 great grandchildren. Eva was preceded in death by her parents; her spouse, Billy D. Hooten; and her siblings, Luella Stockey, William Koppenhafer, and Roy Koppenhafer.
Funeral services for Eva will be held at 10 a.m. Monday, May 23, 2022 at Ertel Memorial Chapel. Pastor Todd Erlandson will officiate. Interment will follow at Cortez Cemetery. A reception will be held at the Mountain View Lodge after the committal service at the cemetery. Visitation has been scheduled for Sunday evening from 5 - 7 p.m. at the funeral home. Please join the family to celebrate Eva’s life and legacy.