HELEN MAE COOKE
Helen Mae Cooke, of Sumter, age 94, passed away on Sunday, Jan. 6, 2019, at Teays Valley Center in Hurricane, West Virginia, following a stroke while visiting West Virginia.
She was born on Feb. 23, 1924, in Clarksburg, West Virginia, she was a daughter of Byrne and Pearl Long. She grew up during the Depression in Richwood, West Virginia, where she met her husband, Phillip Cooke, while he worked nearby in the Civilian Conservation Corps. Marrying prior to his departure for U.S. Army service in World War II, they remained married for 50 years, until his death in 1993. They made homes in Dunbar, Charleston and St. Albans, West Virginia, and eventually Sumter and Port St. Lucie, Florida, in retirement. Helen never met a stranger. Her laugh was boisterous. She loved fishing, quilting, canning, candy making, flirting, deer hunting and eating ramps.
Helen was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; her husband's 12 siblings and their spouses; her four siblings and their spouses; and three sons, Wayne (Larisa) Cook, Gary Cooke and John Cooke.
She is survived by her son, Jim (Dianne) Cooke of Woodville, Alabama; daughters, Pam (Corky Currie) Cooke of Hurricane and Michelle (John) Nichols of Columbia; along with several grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Helen was buried at Grandview Memorial Park in Dunbar, West Virginia, in a family plot.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Blessed Assurance Outreach Ministries, 104 S. Sumter St., Sumter, SC 29150.