Cooper, Mary

Sheldon and Missy's mom. She's a very practical, down to earth woman with a fundamentalist Christian world view. She has a way of dealing with Sheldon which comes from years of knowing him, but also is keenly aware that he's an odd child.

Mary had a brother named Carl who was killed by a badger (0402).

She is mentioned but not seen (although talked to on the phone) in 0207.

Penny theatens to "tell on Sheldon" when he is contemplating having a child with Amy by in vitro fertilization and out of wedlock, which she knows Mary would not like (0401).

Mary Cooper is played by Laurie Metcalf in 0104, 0301 and 0403.

Quotes by Mary Cooper

"He gets his temper from his daddy. He’s got my eyes. All that science stuff, that comes from Jesus."

"I love the boy to death, but he has been difficult since he fell out of me at the Kmart."

(to Raj) "I made chicken. I hope that isn’t one of the animals that you people think is magic."

(about Sheldon's deceased father) "Oh, [he was] not so wise. He once tried to fight a bobcat for some licorice."

(To Sheldon) "You know how your daddy used to say that you could only fish for so long before you gotta throw a stick of dynamite in the water?"

"Leonard, the Lord never gives us more than we can handle. Thankfully he blessed me with two other children who are dumb as soup."

(to Penny, about Sheldon's favourite dessert, cobbler)

Penny: This is the best cobbler ever

Mary: It was always Sheldon’s favourite – you know what the secret ingredient is?

Penny: Love?

Mary: Lard

trivia

Laurie Metcalf was a regular in the sitcom 'Roseanne', along with Johnny Galecki and Sara Gilbert.