Della Fox Cooke ~ age 93
A member of the Little Brick Church, Assemblies of God, Statesville, NC & Gospel Chapel, Statesville & Charlotte, NC ~ Lifelong friend ~ one of my baby setters
Loving Wife & Mother

Father: William Lee Fox (B: 14 Jul 1842, NC-06 Oct 1926, Statesville, Iredell, NC; Burial: Oakwood Cemetery, 114 Oakwood Rd, Statesville, Iredell Co., NC)

Mother: Lavancy Combs (B: 1862, NC-08 Apr 1915, Statesville, Iredell, NC; Burial: Oakwood Cemetery, 114 Oakwood Rd, Statesville, Iredell Co., NC)

Marriage: Robert Lawrence "Lee" Cook, US Spanish American War Veteran, (Birth 21 May 1876, Iredell County, North Carolina, USA - Death 08 May 1965, age 88, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA) Note: Obituary: Statesville Record & Landmark, page 4, 1965, May 08; Burial 10 May 1965, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA

Children:
1. Russell Burette Cooke (Birth ABT 1905 • Stony Point, Iredell, North Carolina, USA - Death 28 DEC 1988 • Newport News, Independent City, Virginia, USA) married: Ella Mae Chappel (Birth 18 DEC 1907 • Iredell County, North Carolina, USA - Death 05 JUL 1993 • Newport News, Newport News City, Virginia, USA);

2. Opal Marie Cooke Fann Elium, Housewife, (Birth 26 Oct 1906, Iredell County, North Carolina, USA - Death 27 Dec 1977, age 71, Winston Salem, Forsyth, North Carolina, USA; Burial 29 Dec 1977, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA) 1st married (21 Dec 1921, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA): Dewey Lee Fann, Furniture Worker, (Birth 16 Apr 1900, Iredell County, North Carolina, USA - Death 28 Jan 1958, age 57, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA; Burial: 30 Jan 1958, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA) s/o Robert B. Fann & Nannie Mae Dowdy Fann; Note: Dewey Fann later married (20 Nov 1933, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA): Maggie Bost (Birth 1909) d/o Will & Aley Bost; 2nd married: Walter J. Elium (Birth 25 Apr 1910, Buncombe County, North Carolina, USA - Death 17 Jul 1985, age 75, Winston Salem, Forsyth, North Carolina, USA; Burial: 20 Jul 1985, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA) s/o Callie Mae Massey;
3. Robert L. Cook, Farmer & Machinist, (Birth 25 Feb 1911, Turnersburg, Iredell, North Carolina, USA - Death 24 Dec 1941, age 30, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA; Burial 25 Dec 1941, Iredell County, North Carolina, USA) Obituary: Statesville Record & Landmark, 1941 December 26, married: Dorothy Goodwin;
4. William Claud Cook, Employee, Veterans A. Hospital, (Birth 27 May 1911, Turnersburg, Iredell, North Carolina, USA - Death 23 Jan 1971, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA; Obituary: Statesville Record & Landmark, page 10, 1971, Juanuary 26, Burial: 25 Jan 1971, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA) married: Ella Fischer Cook;
5. Edd Glenn Cooke, Machinist, Furniture, (Birth 04 Jun 1914, Iredell County, North Carolina, USA - Death 09 Jan 1988, age 73, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA) Obituary: Statesville Record & Landmark, page 10, 1988, Juanuary 10, Burial: Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA) married: Minnie Hedrick Cook (Obituary: Statesville Record & Landmark, page 10, 1994, May 19);
6. Hazel Cook;
7. Jonathan S. Cook (Birth 1918, Iredell County, North Carolina, USA)

Grandson: William Henry Fann, Maritime Marines, (Birth 03 Mar 1923, Iredell County, North Carolina, USA - Death 23 Aug 1983, age 60, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA) Obituary: Statesville Record & Landmark, page A2, 1983, August 24); Burial 25 Aug 1983, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA) s/o Dewey Fann & Mary Opal Cook Fann Rachel Pauley Fann

Some accounts from those who knew Della: WONDERFUL MEMORIES ~ From Gail Wellman: "I remember as a child (way back in the 60's) her asking the Lord, What will be a sign of your coming back? He replied oil will be hard to get. My Daddy worried about the hanging light fixture over her kitchen table and she told him the Lord would take care of her and not to worry. I loved Sis. Cook and I will never forget her. She had the best hug in the world. Love, Gail"
From Judy Williams Waters: "This is the woman who put salt in my cut before I could protest and I found out it didn't hurt and it took all the soreness away. She road the bus from Statesville to Charlotte for years to come to church. Sis. Judy"

Burial Date: 24 Oct 1976
Burial Place: Oakwood Cemetery, 114 Oakwood Rd, Statesville, Iredell, North Carolina, USA

Personal Note: Della Fox Cook lived in Statesville, Iredell, NC. Her husband, Robert Lawrence Cooke, who I well remember, was a veteran of the Spanish American War. When I was a child, Della took care of me, while my parents worked. I mainly remember Mr. Cook sitting in the front bedroom nearby the coal stove, or outside on the front porch. Robert was a quiet unassuming man, keeping much to himself. He may have come to church some in Statesville, but it was Mrs. Cook who was faithful to the church both in Statesville and in Charlotte. She came out of the Little Brick Church, Assemblies of God, in Statesville, when we started services at our home on Blvd. She and my Grandmother Georgia Campbell formed a special bond, and would often call one another, especially in the sunset years.
The above photo taken the last time my family visited Mrs. Cooke before we moved to Kentucky would be our last time seeing this noble lady. When this photo was taken Mrs. Cook was by herself in a small house not far from her old house, by the railroad track, where she kept me as a child. On this last visit, Della smiled as in her accustomed way, reaching out to hug and kiss us. She had a contagious laugh that was so familiar to all who knew her. Either the hard things of this earth never bothered her, or she had a great way of hiding it. She was happy and upbeat and kept telling us how much she loved the Lord and his people. As we prepared to leave, she said with a more serious intonation, "One day, we will meet again on the hills of glory." In the living room, on her mantel, there was the familiar figurine of the three monkeys, "Hear no evil, See no evil, Do no evil," that was her motto in life. I will never forget what she meant to me as a child, and how her life and example taught me that one can be rich in their poverty, and surrounded in their desolation. This was the legacy that Sister Cook offered me through a life of example. In her own words, someday, I hope to meet her in glory. Sharing memories – not to be forgotten