Frances Cook

1927 - 2012

Frances Helen Dotson Cook was born on October 27, 1927 in Austin, Texas to Ishmael and Bessie Lydia Dotson. Frances was the youngest of seven children and spent her early years in San Antonio and Austin before enrolling in Tillotson College at the age of sixteen. After graduating from college, she moved to Chicago and began her teaching career.

While in Chicago, Frances met her first husband and had a son, Joseph Sharpe, Jr. She later met and married Clarence Cook. The couple had a daughter, Francesca, and the marriage lasted over 50 years. Soon after the birth of their daughter, the Cook family moved to New York, where Frances continued her teaching career and earned a Master’s Degree in Education from Adelphi University. In 1970, the family moved to Columbia, Maryland. Clarence’s job provided the opportunity to travel and live abroad and in the late 1970’s the family moved to Paris, France.

Frances was outgoing and loved being around her family. She never shied away from speaking her mind and was always happy to engage in a debate during the annual Christmas dinners she hosted each year. Following the Dotson tradition, she loved music, dance and theater. She played clarinet as a child, began piano lessons in her 70’s, and enjoyed going to plays and dance concerts throughout her life. She also was an avid traveler and cherished her time in Europe and her annual trips across the U.S. Always eager to learn new skills, she took advantage of local classes in a variety of areas from Spanish to furniture making. She kept active all her life playing competitive tennis into her 70’s, joining a dance troupe for seniors, gardening and participating in her sorority, Delta Sigma Theta, Incorporated.

Frances was happiest surrounded by family and will be missed by many. She is survived by her husband of fifty-one years, Clarence; two children, Joseph and Francesca; a granddaughter, Kai; two surviving siblings, Alfred Dotson and Thelma Calhoun, who reside in Austin Texas; and a host of cousins, nieces, and nephews.