Laura Cook Obituary

LAKEWOOD, CO - Laura Kate (Edwards) Cook passed away at Applewood Our House Memory Care in Lakewood, CO on Wednesday, December 28, 2022. Born April 11, 1933, in Jonesborough, Tenn., she was the daughter of Earnest and Velva (McIntosh) Edwards. Laura and her five siblings grew up around Jonesborough, and eventually settled on a farm in Sulphur Springs, TN.

Laura graduated from Sulphur Springs High School in 1951. In 1952, after one year at East Tennessee State College, Laura took the bold step of moving to Washington, DC to work as a clerk for the Navy. While there, she met William John Cook of Des Moines, IA who was serving in the Army. It's a classic story–Bill had been seeing Laura's roommate, and the roommate stood him up one evening, so he invited Laura out. They were united in marriage on May 23, 1953, at Bethany Baptist Church in Washington, DC.

In the fall of 1953, Bill and Laura returned to Iowa, where he enrolled in the mechanical engineering program at Iowa State College and Laura worked for the State of Iowa and Mary Greeley Hospital.

The couple made their home in Ames, IA, where they raised two children, Sharon and Donald.

Through many of Bill's early years as a professor at ISU, the family would travel in the summer for him to work at various research facilities. Laura would prepare the Ames house to rent, pack up clothes, books, and toys, move into an unseen rental home, and entertain the kids for the summer. Summer locations included Los Alamos, NM, the San Francisco Bay area, and Hampton, VA.

Laura was a longtime member of Collegiate United Methodist Church where she joined and eventually led the Holy Tearers, a group that made quilts for local charities and Appalachian Service Project. She sewed clothing and items for the house and also greatly enjoyed playing bridge in both a couple's group and a neighborhood ladies' group.

Laura and Bill moved from Ames to Downers Grove, IL, in May of 2019. They were married for nearly 69 years at the time of Bill's death in 2021. Laura moved to Lakewood, CO in October of 2022.

Laura was preceded in death by her husband; her parents; two sisters, Frances Edwards Black and Ruth Edwards Loyd; one brother, Marshall Edwards. The status of another brother, William "Billy" Edwards is unknown.

Laura is survived by her two children, Sharon (Gerald) Schmidt of Lakewood, CO, and Donald (Monica) Cook; two grandchildren; her brother, Raymond Edwards of Winnabow, NC; and many nieces and nephews.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. Tuesday, January 10, 2023, at Collegiate United Methodist Church, 2622 Lincoln Way, Ames, Iowa. Visitation will be one hour before services at the church. The service will be livestreamed and may be viewed on Laura's Tribute Wall on the Adams Funeral Home website. Burial will be in the Jordan Cemetery, West Des Moines. Iowa.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to Iowa Public Radio or the Dementia Society of America.

Funeral arrangements are under the direction of the Adams Funeral Home and online condolences may be left for Laura's family at www.adamssoderstrum.com