Helen Holland Cook

On Tuesday morning, May 27, Mother went to be with the Lord. She had been up early reading her newspaper that her grandson, Robby saw that she had. She had her favorite meal, breakfast. She said she could eat breakfast three times a day and once, at least, she actually did. She did her daily Bible study and looked over her Sunday school lesson before sitting down at her sewing machine to work. She loved to work, at anything. She got an early start in life helping out her mom and sister. Her dad was a traveling grocer. She said she had most anything she wanted, until one day when she was about fourteen; her dad simply did not come home. They never saw him again. Her parents had decided they could no longer settle their differences. Her mother was a wonderful Christian lady and her sister; gene was about two years younger.

In Austin she was a frequent guest of the governor’s daughter, a high school friend, at the capital and attended many events there. Mother graduated from Austin High School. She attended Draughn’s Business College to become a banker. Helen met C L Cook at a church social First Baptist of Austin was having for the soldiers. They had a hay ride and C L drove the wagon for them. He continued to visit the church. She had just begun working in the bank when the tall, blue eyed soldier asked her to be his bride. As they say: ‘the rest is history”. They were married by pastor, Dr. Posey at First Baptist. C L was being transferred to Mauldin, Missouri. There they rented a room in a boarding house, with other young couples, sharing on bath and the kitchen with a few other couples. It was only for about a year, but the first time Helen had been separated from her family. In Missouri, mother simply often walked to a near-by- café for lunch. The owner said she would give her meal if she would start now being a waitress, something mother had never done. She did have fun. Mom always did her best. Once, an officer demanded more coffee. Having her hands full, he had to wait a minute. He said it was the kind of help people were taking, any kind they could get. Mother simply replied, it was just like the military, they were taking anyone they could get. When they came back to Austin, dad was being discharged from the Army. After about a year, Shirley Ann was born. They moved to Tyler where dad’s family was. A year later, Betty Jo was born and then Tommy Lee.

Dad’s dad had moved to Dallas to work for Toro Lawn Equipment. Dad went to work there, too. Soon dad went to work for the Texas Highway Department where he worked for about 33 years. Mother raised the kids and watched as they crossed the street to and from the elementary school in Dallas where Bible chapters were memorized on a daily basis in public school. They took us to and from junior high and Woodrow Wilson, where mother later worked in the Youth Action. Dad was able to buy a newer home close to his job and we all moved to Casa View and finished at Bryan Adams High School. Mother worked odd jobs while we were in school. Later she was a secretary in area school. We moved our church membership from our first church in, Dolphin Road Baptist Church to Casa View Baptist Church, where she was a member for about 50 years.

Shortly after dad died in 2001, mother moved in with Betty, Bob, Bonnie and the boys to Crockett. She joined the family at Westside Baptist.

Westside was in the middle of a Unity Revival last week and she was in attendance at every service. She was excited about driving up and down the highway 21, putting flyers on gates and doors about the revival. She was a worker.

After her paper, breakfast and Bible Study last Wednesday morning she began to get ready for the evening service. She went to take her shower and almost immediately called Betty. She managed to stand until I got there and sat down and collapsed over me. In 20 minutes the EMT’s arrived and took her to the landing pad in Crockett and by helicopter to ETMC Tyler. In only a few hours, she went into a ‘coma’ and never woke. A blood vessel or vein burst in her head an extreme stroke occurred, the hemorrage tripled in only a few hours. We were told to say our ‘good byes’ and said it could be hours or morning. She was a very strong woman in every sense of the world. She lingered until Tuesday morning at 4:30.

Helen served with the Texas Baptist Men on several feeding units, including during Hurricane Ike when we went to stage for the storm to pass and the storm passed right over our heads. She had been trained and certified in First Aid and CPR, water purification and as a Chaplain. She was very active. She had no lazy bones in her body. She exercised daily and exercising her faith, sharing he Word and love of God everywhere she went. She never stopped.

We had in the past few weeks been to Oklahoma to baby sit two granddaughters and back the next week for a dance recital. She did not want to miss a thing. Only a week later we were at Nicky’s church for a baby dedication and saw her other two granddaughters. That same day, all three of her kids were at the church service with her, she was happy. The previous weeks she had seen all the boys and Bonnie at the house.

Mother was born August 5, 1922 in Graham, Young County, Texas. She lived in Amarillo, Lubbock and started grade school in New Mexico where they lived one year, and then Austin. Once when some young men flirted with her and her sister, they said they were going to jail. They were. Their uncle’s family lived in the jail, where he was constable.

She is survived by daughter, Shirley Ann Cook Morris and husband, Stanley Wayne Morris and step-son, Steven Morris; daughter, Betty Jo cook Van and husband, Robert Spence Van, grand children: Robert Spence Van II; Vernon Nicholas Van, wife Angela Janette Shine Van and daughters, Janette Nicole Van and Haylee Rose Van; Bonnie Elizabeth Van Miracle; Timothy Cook Van and Leonard gray Van. Their son is Tommy Lee Cook and three daughters: Keri Lynette, Joy Michelle and Adrianna Dane cook. Niece, Gayle McLendon Sheehan and son and family, Jonathan Kirby Sheehan. Nephew, Jim Conway McLendon and family; Austin, Travis and Cooper. There are many cousins and extended family members.

Visitation will be held Friday, May 30, 2014 from 5:00 to 8:00 PM, and the Funeral Service will be held Saturday, May 31, 2014 at 2:00 PM. All services will be at Grove Hill Funeral Home.