Glenda Cook

Passed away at Cape Canaveral Hospital on Tuesday, May 23, 2017 at the age of 65. Loving wife of Danny Cook. Beloved mother to Cynthia Rushing (Tommy), Teresa Arquitt, Angela Blackburn (Vincent), Pamela Lindsley, and Samantha Hooker (David). Nanny to Jeremy Rushing, Kelley Smith, Kristen Bowman, Sarah Redmon, Catherine Rushing, Cody Arquitt, Gabriel Redmon, Molly McGee, Abigail Hooker, and Grayson Hollis. Great-grandma to Aaliyah Bowman, Bryson Bowman, and Andrew Martinez. Beloved sister to Bo, Margaret, and David. Pre-deceased by her parents William Sr. and Marie Sharp, brothers William Jr, Donnie, John, Larry and sister Linda. Glenda loved traveling, dolphins, Disney, and old movies. She never met a tic tac or a Coca-Cola she didn’t like. She enjoyed listening to country music and old gospel music.

Friends will be received at the Brevard Memorial Funeral Home (5475 N. US Hwy 1, Cocoa, FL 32927) on Saturday, May 27, 2017 from 11a.m.-12 p.m. A Celebration of Life Service will take place at 12 p.m. with burial to follow. Friends and family are welcome back to a reception at the Canaveral Masonic Lodge following the burial.

Words to describe mom: BEAUTIFUL, WITTY, TOUGH, SASSY, OPINIONATED, DETERMINED and BLESSED.

BEAUTIFUL on the outside and on the inside, blessed with sky blue eyes and golden hair.

WITTY enough to bring amusement to the most mundane tasks with a contagious laughter that everyone loved.

TOUGH enough to survive an early life that would have destroyed weaker people.

SASSY enough to take up for herself and her kids, no matter the cost.

OPINIONATED enough to let you know what she felt, with no apology.

DETERMINED enough to survive events and medical issues that many thought were insurmountable (ask the hospice nurses that came in shift-after-shift amazed that she was still hanging on).

BLESSED enough to find the one man that was willing to do whatever it took to wash away her earlier struggles. When she found Danny, she got to experience a true love. A love so deep and genuine that many are envious.

Her life may have been shorter than we wanted, but she definitely experienced more true love in her life than most of us will ever know. She experienced life to the fullest with her one true love. She raised five girls to be independent and resourceful. While our hearts hurt because she is gone, we know that she completed the goals God set before her and she was accepted into Heaven with open arms.

EULOGY READ BY CYNDI:

For those who don’t know, I’m Cyndi, the oldest of Glenda’s five daughters. As the oldest, I have some memories that the other girls are not privy too. And as much as I would love to say that all of the memories were happy and cheerful, I can’t. My mom, Glenda, had a rough start in life. She was a single mother of two rambunctious girls at only 18 years old.

A lesser woman would have given up - but not mom. She bravely decided that not only would she survive but she would thrive. It wasn’t easy. She waited tables to earn money and it was hard work. She came home exhausted sometimes so tired she could hardly walk. Yet she made sure that Angie and I had everything we needed - not necessarily what we wanted - but our needs were met. We never went hungry and we always had the necessities. Goodwill and Salvation Army were our friends and there was even a night or two that we had to sleep in the car because housing was so hard to find. Yet, she never gave up! She worked hard and we made it. She proved to us over and over again that giving up was not an option. She had a natural beauty that many were envious of and I remember dreaming of growing up to be that beautiful!

You may or may not have noticed that the song that we started this service with is not a typical funeral song. “When a Man Loves a Woman” was Mom’s favorite song and became the theme song for her relationship with Danny. When they met in 1983, she was a waitress at Shoney’s and he was the manager. They had no way of knowing then how their lives were about to change. At 30 years old, Glenda had finally found her true love. A love that never faded and continues even today. Danny was able to see beyond her past and envision the beauty and the love they could share together.

As most can imagine, the early years were tough. Angie and I moved with mom and Danny to Memphis where we were joined by Teresa, Pamela and Samantha. Overnight, we went from a family of 3 to a family of 7. And as if 7 were not enough, our home had a revolving door. At any given time, there were between 1 and 4 additional people living with us. Brothers, sisters and friends knew they had a place when needed and most nights, every couch, spare bed and even the garage was full! Mom could not see someone in need without helping and Danny was patient and never said a word.

Feeding our group was a full time job and mom handled the chore with the determination and sass that she would become known for. She would cook it and you would eat it. Enough said. You did not question- you just did and if you didn’t- you sat there until you did. We remember her favorite meals; we also remember some of our less favorites. Her spaghetti was unlike any other spaghetti you would have and I think over the years each of us five girls have tried to duplicate her recipe. Her not-so famous mackerel patties with fried potatoes is one example of a meals we choose to try to forget. She had the ability to take a single can of mackerel and add enough ‘stuff’ to make patties for ten. It was definitely a meal to remember (or not).

She ran a house with 5 kids, a husband, numerous live in friends all while working full time. If she ever made excuses or complained I do not remember them. She would make sure us girls had our marching orders and were kept in line and while I know you will find it hard to believe- not all of us were little angels. There were times in our lives that I think each of us gave mom and Danny a run for their money. However, their determination and tenacity usually quickly brought us back in line. We pushed boundaries but we also knew limits and usually stayed under control. It was a tough and sometimes thankless job, but mom and Danny realized that each of us girls had different potentials and they were careful to push us each to do our individual bests without out comparing us to each other. If they showed any difference between us girls, we were oblivious to it because Danny and mom spent so much time with each of us.

Once we were grown, the spoiling really began. Danny made sure that the woman of his dreams had everything her heart desired and he did his best to give her more than she could ever ask or imagine, He patiently worked her through her fear of flying and they traveled the world. Multiple countries, numerous cruises, jewelry, cars and custom fit clothes are just some of the gifts that he gave her and an expression of his love for her. As her illness progressed, nothing changed. every alteration that could be made to the house was made. Plasma injections, laser treatments, as well as other alternative therapies were tried. Giving up on his love was not an option and this did not change until the day she took her last breath.

His uncompromising love started when she was thirty and thirty five years later, that love is still there. This love allowed her to overcome a painful past and live a new and exciting life full of travels and adventures. The unique sound of her laughter is a memory that we will all carry with us. She had a unique laugh and thankfully, we enjoyed the sound often. Each of us girls will carry our own memories with us of this special woman. We are also lucky enough to have picked up on some of her unique traits and these traits make us what we are today.

We move forward today with only our memories and we thank God for each and every one of them. We also thank him for giving us a set of parents unwilling to accept anything from us but our personal best. Being tough, sassy, opinionated, and determined are just a few of the virtues that along with your prayers and support will get us girls and Danny through the coming days and weeks.

Thank you so much for attending the service and being here for our family.

Danny, Cyndi, Teresa, Angela, Pamela and Samantha.