Marilyn M Cook

Marilyn Marie Cook, 93, a 50-year resident of Southern Arizona, died peacefully in her Oro Valley home on November 24. A beloved wife, stepmother, grandmother and friend, Marilyn was known throughout the community as a thoughtful, understated and relentlessly positive civic volunteer and philanthropist. She was born November 22, 1928, in San Diego, California. Marilyn graduated from Laguna Beach High School in 1945; received a business degree from the University of Southern California in 1949; and earned her master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois in 1951. Her campus activities included the Kappa Delta sorority, Student Senate service and the presidency of the YWCA. After completing her studies, Marilyn, a talented pianist and organist, led a busy, fulfilling, independent life in California, New York and Arizona, traveling the world and serving causes bigger than herself. On April 8, 1972, Marilyn married Donald K. Smith, who had a long career at Hughes Aircraft, and moved to Tucson. After Donald passed away, Marilyn continued her service to the community. On April 26, 1997, Marilyn married Allen M. Cook Sr. and they moved from Tucson to Oro Valley. In their two decades together, Al and Marilyn were deeply committed to elevating Oro Valley and the arts. Marilyn served on the Oro Valley Government Review Task Force and the Oro Valley Historic Preservation Commission. Among other honors, Marilyn was named Citizen of the Year in 1986 by Citizens and Neighborhoods of Pima County; Humanitarian of the Year, with her husband, by the Greater Oro Valley Arts Council in 2007; and, with Al, the winner of the Northern Pima County Chamber of Commerce Legacy Award in 2011. They launched and sponsored the popular Jazz Legends Live! concert/jazz education series and supported the transition of GOVAC into the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance. Marilyn, a breast cancer survivor, built scores of cherished friendships through her many interests, which included playing tennis almost every day into her late 80s. Marilyn was preceded in death by her husband. She is survived by her stepson, Allen M. Cook Jr., and his wife, Mamie V. Morlacci-Cook, of Katy, Texas; stepson Glenn Cook, and his wife, Stacy, of Las Vegas, Nevada; grandchildren, Chloe Aster and Sophia V., Kellen A., Camden E. and Anthony M. Cook; and brother, Paul R. Esslinger of Newport Beach. Services will be held at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, December 11, 2021, at East Lawn Palms Mortuary and Cemetery, 5801 E. Grant Road, in Tucson. The family requests that, in lieu of flowers, donations be sent to the Southern Arizona Arts & Cultural Alliance, 4500 N. Oracle Road, Suite 110, Tucson, AZ, 85705. Please write "In memory of Marilyn Cook" in the memo field.