Claire Cook

CHATHAM - Claire (Potter) Cook passed away peacefully on July 23rd after a valiant battle with Alzheimer's disease. She was born in Montague, MA on December 26th, 1925. Claire was the wife of the late Robert W. Cook who died in 1985. Her greatest accomplishment was her dedication and joy in raising and caring for her family.

Survivors include her six children; Bruce W. Cook of Chatham, Robert W. and Barbara (Lucenti) Cook of NY, Jeffrey M. Cook of TN, Dana M. and Pierrette (Barton) Cook of Chatham, Moira (Cook) and Michael Galarneau of Chicopee and Leah (Cook) and David Stackhouse of Millis; nine grandchildren; Phillip J. and Kristen (Trudnowski) Cook of NY, Robin Cook of PA, Kristen Cook of VA, Jason Cook of Northampton, Rachel Cook of Chatham, Lindsay and Tyler Galarneau of Chicopee, and Ava and Noah Stackhouse of Millis; three great-grandchildren; Abigail, Ryan and Aaron Cook of NY. She is also survived by many in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews, and dear friends.

She was predeceased by parents Herbert H. and Bertha (Marchessault) Potter, sister Eunice (Potter) Quadrozzi, brother Herbert S. Potter, nephew and godson David Quadrozzi, and great-grandaughter Samantha Ann Cook.

Claire resided in Western MA attending Pittsfield schools and graduated in 1943 from the High School of Commerce in Springfield, MA., completing her education early to aid in the war effort. She worked at Moore Drop Forging Co until she married the love of her life and best friend Robert W. Cook at Our Lady of Sacred Heart church on December 31st, 1949. They spent a short time in Minneapolis as Bob trained for his new job returning to reside in the greater Boston area before settling in North Beverly which they called home for the next 20 years.

She was an active parishoner at St. John the Evangelist Church in North Beverly as part of the Ladies Sodality and taught CCD. In addition to devoting her time to her growing family she developed a lifelong love of poetry and reading which brought her great comfort throughout her life. She had many creative hobbies including photographic coloration, knitting, sewing, ceramics, rug braiding, stencilling, and gilding. She was an accomplished baker and cook.

After vacationing for many years on Cape Cod they moved to Chatham in 1972. As a parishoner of Holy Redeemer she joined the Ladies Guild helping out at fundraising activites for the Church. She and Bob both received their real estate broker's license and Claire worked in the field, most notably with Ed Laux Real Estate. She also worked from home as a Medical Transcriptionist and in the insurance field for Capewide Insurance in both the Chatham and Dennis offices eventually retiring at age 75.

Her greatest joy was her family and she loved sharing the uniqueness of small town life in Chatham including attending band concerts, parades, and the beach. She loved entertaining and hosting her annual New Year's Eve party for friends and family. One of her favorite pastimes was creating short verses to describe her beloved grandchildren, quoting favorite phrases, along with challenging them with a 'word of the day' often producing hilarious results and precious memories! Her sharp intellect and wonderful sense of humor will be missed by all who knew her.

Donations in Claire's memory may be made to the Hospice Association of your choice. Visiting hours will be held on Monday August 1 from 4:00 to 7:00pm at Nickerson Funeral Home, 87 Crowell Road in Chatham. A mass of Christian burial will be held on Tuesday August 2 at 11:00am at Holy Redeemer Church, 57 Highland Ave., Chatham followed by internment at Veteran's Administration National Cemetery of Massachusetts, Bourne.