LAKE PANORAMA COUPLE FACES CHALLENGES, REMAINS GRATEFUL

By Susan Thompson | Lake Panorama Times

We all know people who are so upbeat every time you see them, you wonder what they add to their morning coffee. When you meet a married couple and both partners have that same demeanor, you wonder even more. 

Such is the case with Tim and Coop Rickert, who have been Lake Panorama property owners since the fall of 2015.  

Tim grew up in Reinbeck, first on a farm, then in town where his parents moved him and his three siblings when he was in the fifth grade. He joined the Army while still in high school. 

“I left for basic training nine days after graduating,” he says. “I served four years as an enlisted soldier and later joined the University of Northern Iowa ROTC at the beginning of my junior year. After graduating from UNI, I was commissioned as a second lieutenant and went to work for the Iowa Army National Guard at Camp Dodge.” 

Coop was raised in Des Moines. Her father died when she was 14, and her mother moved the family to Perry a year later. She died when Coop was in her late 30s. 

As an adult, Coop attended Des Moines Area Community College for one year and then three years at Iowa State University where she earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism and communication. She worked in several communications positions with one year at the Camp Dodge Credit Union.

It was there the two first met. Coop recalls Tim would stop in occasionally to make a deposit or get cash. 

“He was friendly and always smiling,” she says. 

Coop moved to a new job, and it was eight years before they reconnected. She was working a second job at an Indianola convenience store. Three riders on Harley Davidson motorcycles pulled up to the gas pumps, and one came in to buy a bottle of water. 

“He was dressed in Harley garb. Leather jacket, sunglasses and a durag on his head,” Coop says. “I’d only known him in uniform. He recognized me right away, and I recognized him when he took his sunglasses off.” 

Tim asked what she was doing there, she said recently divorced, he said the same. They exchanged contact information and dated for four months. After six months, they moved in together. 

“We were both in our 40s and old enough to know we weren’t getting any younger,” Coop says. 

That chance second meeting at a convenience store led to the former Denise Cooper taking on the nickname of Coop. 

“When Tim asked for my number, I wrote Denise Cooper and my number on a sheet of paper, and told him I’d taken my maiden name back,” Coop says. “He said he was going to call me Coop. I told him he couldn’t because I had a brother, Charles, who went by Coop. A few months later when I introduced Tim to my brother, he said, ‘Hi, I’m Coop.’ Tim replied, ‘No, you’re Chuck.’ Pointing to me he said, ‘She’s Coop.’ From that time on, my brother went by Chuck, and I took on the nickname Coop. Everyone I’ve met since then calls me Coop.”

 

MILITARY DEPLOYMENT

For three years, life was good. They shared a home in Des Moines and commuted to Newton. Tim was a fulltime soldier with the Iowa Army National Guard, based at the armory there. Coop was a creative services manager and copy writer for Iowa Telecom.  

In November 2005, Tim was notified he would be deployed to Afghanistan and would be the commander for a team of 16 soldiers.

“We immediately began identifying personnel to fill a 16 Soldier Embedded Tactical Training Team that would assist in training an Afghanistan National Army Combat Service and Combat Service Support Battalion consisting of approximately 500 Afghan soldiers,” Tim says.

The pair had talked about Tim’s chances of deploying. Each time, he said he wasn’t in the type of unit that had been deploying to Iraq and Afghanistan. 

The couple had gotten engaged the previous spring and were putting off picking a date for a wedding as Coop was planning her daughter’s wedding scheduled for the fall of October 2005. When Tim told Coop of his deployment, he said he wanted to marry before he left. So they scrambled and chose the date of Jan. 14, 2006, for a small family wedding in the chapel at Camp Dodge. 

On March 1, 2006, Tim and his team went to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, for three months of training. They arrived in Afghanistan June 10, 2006. The team returned to Iowa in June 2007, after one year in Afghanistan.

“Serving in Afghanistan was an incredibly rewarding experience,” Tim says. “The soldiers I served with were, and still are, remarkable. The team gets together every five years for a reunion at a Saylorville Lake campground. We spend the weekend cooking, drinking beer, swapping lies and catching up.”

With Tim deployed, Coop spent a lot of time responding to calls and emails from friends and family asking for updates about him. During one of the couple’s phone conversations, she expressed frustration about being home alone and having to respond to the constant reminder from others of his absence. Tim suggested she write a weekly update and send it to family and friends, and she agreed to give it a try.

Her written updates were a hit, and the list of those interested in receiving her newsletters grew quickly. At Tim’s suggestion, she added a section titled “A Day in the Life of an Army Wife” where she shared information about Tim and his team but also her adventures. 

Tim and Coop both kept personal journals during the deployment. Before Tim returned from Afghanistan, he was asked to take the position of officer in charge at the armory in Iowa City. Once he was home, the couple made the move to Iowa City. 

“Once we were settled, I had people encouraging me to expand on our personal journals and my newsletters by writing a book,” Coop says. “I decided this would be a piece of history for our family, something that could be passed down through future generations. Writing the book was very therapeutic.” 

After three years in Iowa City, Tim was selected for the Army War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. The couple moved to Pennsylvania for a year, living on base, while Tim completed a master’s degree in strategic studies. Coop started writing her book in Iowa City and finished during their time in Pennsylvania.

As the time for Tim’s return from Afghanistan grew closer, Coop wrote the following sentences in one of her newsletters, which also are included in the book. This paragraph provides insight into her life then, and now. 

“So many have asked how I have maintained my sense of humor, my optimistic attitude, and carried on with my life while Tim is off in another land. Simply put, there is not a single thing I can do about this situation but make the very best of it. I could have let my feelings overwhelm me with sadness. I could have let my frustrations take over as I try to juggle work, life and family by myself. Instead, I choose to look at this as a learning experience.” 

The 230-page paperback book titled “Through the Eyes of a Soldier’s Wife” was published in 2012. A total of 500 copies were printed. The book can be checked out from the Panora Library and is available from several online vendors.

 

FAMILY LOSSES

Tim is one of four children. Two sisters and a brother all are married with children and live in the Reinbeck area, as does his mother. His father died four days before Tim retired from the military.

Coop had six brothers and sisters. One sister lives in Colorado; two brothers and a sister are in central Iowa. Two brothers passed away. Her oldest brother, Bob, died in 1997 of a heart attack. Her younger brother, Chuck, died by suicide in 2008. 

“Bob was the first Cooper to go to college,” Coop says. “He received a doctorate in music and taught music at the University of Missouri. Since my dad died when I was 14, Bob became my father figure. As a young adult, he became my mentor, advisor and best friend. It was because of him that I sought my own education at Iowa State as a single parent at the age of 35. We talked weekly on the phone.” 

When Bob died suddenly at the age of 45 from hereditary heart disease, Coop was devastated. 

Coop describes Bob and his wife, Melissa, as soul mates. 

“I met Mels when they were first dating,” she says. “I was 22 years old. We instantly hit it off. From that point on, our friendship continued to grow. She was more like a sister than a sister-in-law.”

On March 5, 2022, a tornado touched down near Winterset. Melissa Bazley died after the tornado ripped the family’s home from its foundation. Also killed were her son-in-law, Mike Bolger, and two youngest grandchildren. Her daughter, Kuri Bolger, and Kuri’s oldest son survived, as did Mels’ second husband, Raymond, and their son, Seth. 

“Mels’ death was undeniably the most difficult thing I’ve ever experienced in my life. She was so full of life. I know people say this all the time, but it was different with her. She really did live every single moment with a zest for life,” Coop says. 

“Taking a walk in the woods with her was like we were on a safari, stopping every 100 yards to identify an unusual plant, or pick up acorns to make crafts, or pick flowers, or pose for pictures on tree stumps,” Coop says. “She pushed me to be more than I was, to experience more than I might be comfortable with, to see the positive in everything and everyone, to enjoy every single moment. Her passing left a permanent hole in my heart.”

 

RETIRING TO LAKE PANORAMA 

After serving in various positions with the Iowa National Guard, Tim retired in 2016 at the rank of colonel.

“I spent 34 years in the military,” he says. “It was a good life choice for me. I felt like I made a difference, and it allowed me to retire at the age of 55. I still have lots of friends in the military.” 

With Tim’s retirement, Coop did the same, leaving her position as a community outreach specialist for John Deere Financial. The Rickerts owned a large home in Johnston. Throughout their time together, they had always lived in residential areas. 

“We wanted more of a country feel,” Tim says. “We thought we wanted an acreage but never found one that quite suited us. Coop deserves the credit for getting us to Lake Panorama. I was aware of the area but had never come to check it out until we were getting ready to retire.” 

The couple first visited Lake Panorama on Tim’s motorcycle, stopping to look at houses when they saw a “for sale” sign in the yard. Top on their priority list was a lot with trees. They already had a fishing boat, so being close to water also was a priority. 

In the fall of 2015, they purchased five lots, then later purchased a sixth, giving them a little more than two acres at the corner of Panorama Drive and Pete Drive, just north of the Panorama West golf course. 

“There were a lot of scrub trees in the front, so we started clearing that area for construction on our home starting in June 2016,” Tim says. “The back of our property has a lot of big trees — oak, hickory, hackberry. We left more than half of our property natural with brome grasses and lots of trees.”

The couple designed their home on a white board. Construction began in June, and they moved into the home Oct. 6, 2016. If that seems like a fast turnaround, it was.

“Our contractor basically built the shell of the house. He did the major part of the electrical and plumbing, had the sheetrock up and painted, and the fireplace was complete. We took over from there,” Tim says. 

The couple installed all interior doors, window and door trim, plus the flooring. They designed and built all the shelving in the kitchen, built-in book shelves, pantry doors, put a Murphy bed in the loft and more. 

“Outside, we cleared underbrush and a few trees, installed a flagstone pathway, and built the deck and firepit surrounded by flagstone. We also created a dry creek bed, gardens and walkways,” Coop says.  

On Dec. 23, 2022, the day after Coop had rotator cuff surgery, the Rickerts were enjoying their woodburning fireplace and watching television. The television went out and didn’t come back on. A closer look at the television and surrounding area led to them seeing fire through the outlet and switch box on the side of the fireplace. As Coop called 911, Tim used a fire extinguisher to spray into the outlet box. A fireball came back at him and narrowly missed him.

Within minutes, personnel from both the Panora and Guthrie Center fire departments were on site. 

“We are so grateful to the fire departments for their quick response and concern and care of our home,” Tim says.

“It was the coldest night of the year,” Coop says. “We were lucky in so many ways. We were awake and saw the fire so we could call for help. The fire departments arrived quickly and were able to contain the fire, even though it had burned through the ceiling.”

The couple was displaced from their home for 10 months. For the first three months, they rented a house in Dallas Center. After that, they lived in their fifth wheel camper parked on their property.

It was May 2023 before the needed inspections were complete and an insurance settlement reached. Repair work began in June, and they moved back into their home Nov. 1, 2023.

The home now features a new chimney with a woodburning stove. The firewood comes from their son-in-law, who owns a tree trimming business in Perry. 

“At first I was freaked out about burning wood again, so we looked at other options,” Coop says. “But we really love wood, and eventually settled on this stove. It is so much safer and more efficient than our old fireplace.” 

The couple agrees Lake Panorama suits their lifestyle. 

“We are able to enjoy hiking, fishing, boating, golfing and lots of wildlife, all within a few minutes of our home,” Tim says. “Even with all that, our friends are the best part. We have met so many wonderful people here and accumulated so many memories. We’ve lived in a lot of places, but we’ve never had friends like we have at Lake Panorama.”

Some of their friendships began as their house was being built, when people stopped by to introduce themselves. They made more friends golfing at Panorama West. 

“I started the women’s golf league when players walked onto the first hole and golfed with whoever was there,” Coop says. “It was a bit unnerving, but everyone was so welcoming, and I got to know a few women that way. One day as I was dropping off my scorecard in the clubhouse, Mary Kay O’Grady introduced herself, then proceeded to introduce me to others. Soon I was staying after golf league, visiting with other women in the clubhouse. Many have become good friends.” 

Tim hadn’t golfed much before moving to Lake Panorama. Now he plays in the Tuesday night and Thursday morning men’s leagues at Panorama West. He also plays every Monday with a group of 15 to 20 men at various courses around the area. 

Both Tim and Coop love to travel. Tim has traveled to all 50 states. Coop has visited 49 states, with just Alaska left. The couple plans an Alaskan cruise for their 20^th wedding anniversary in June 2026. 

While their house was being built, they lived in a camper at Lake Panorama’s west campground. 

“Six months later, when we moved into our new home, we sold the camper and swore we’d never camp again,” Coop says. “We changed our minds three years later, bought an 18-foot travel trailer, and headed southwest for two months in February and March.” 

Since then, the couple has upgraded three times and now has a 34-foot fifth wheel camper. Their travels include camping, hiking, and visits with family and friends. 

Coop suffered a setback to her hiking plans when she needed a knee replacement. The surgery was done Oct. 23, 2024, and was more difficult than she anticipated. As they did after the house fire, the couple’s Lake Panorama friends stepped up. 

“We are so thankful for all the friends we have made at the lake over the past eight years,” Coop says. “The days following my surgery, we were blessed with so many people checking in, offering help, dropping off meals and goodies. It’s amazing to have this type of love and support at this point in our lives.”

Between them, the couple has four children and three grandchildren. Coop’s daughter and son both live in Perry. Tim has a daughter in Portland, Oregon, and another daughter near Orlando, Florida.

Asked to summarize how the couple has dealt with the challenges they’ve faced individually and together, Coop offers this. 

“I feel we’ve been blessed beyond words. We have four wonderful healthy children, three lovely adventurous grandchildren, we are healthy, we are able to do the things we love to do, we are surrounded by tribes of friends, from the past and present, who elevate our lives even more,” she says. “So many others are going through worse times. Life is short. You have to get out there and enjoy it with the people you meet along the way.”