A lifelong resident of the community, Gloria Lynne Cook (nee O’Brien) passed away peacefully at Winchester District Memorial Hospital, on Wednesday, March 16, 2016. She was 71.
Daughter of the late James O’Brien and the late Irla Jean Deeks, Lynne was the beloved wife of the late Mahlon Cook, UE.
Lynne was born on April 5, 1944, in Cornwall, Ontario. At the age of two, she went to live with her grandfather, Lee Deeks and his mother, and was raised by Lee as a daughter.
She attended Morrisburg Public School and Grades 9 and 10 in the local high school; then in 1960, Lynne attended Cornwall Commercial College.
There was no graduation, and she stayed home to look after her elderly great-grandmother for 10 years.
Lynne was very well known and active in the community. She did typing for several groups, including the Masons, curling and golf clubs, Cancer Society and Morrisburg Old Home Week.
From 1962 to spring 1986, she was the familiar face who sold admission tickets for various organizations at the Morrisburg arena.
She was statistician for the Junior ‘B’ Hockey League and reported sports (fastball and hockey) to eight newspapers. She also wrote articles for the Iroquois Chieftain newspaper.
Lynne was the treasurer of Knox Presbyterian Church from December 1974 to December 1985, and assisted her grandfather, Lee with his job for 14 years previous. She also worked part-time for Morrisburg Hydro from 1981 to November 1985.
In 1966, Lynne started working on family trees, a passion that continued until shortly before her death.
She was the Genealogist for the Casselman Ancestral Society; and with the St. Lawrence Branch UELAC, Morrisburg, Lynne was a Charter Member, Pro-tem President in 1977, a past editor of the newsletter, Past President, Secretary, and Branch Genealogist since 1977.
Lynne established a Genealogical Resource Centre in her home, and until a few months before her death, she was happily kept busy with people calling, e-mailing and visiting her home to research the many resources on display.
Lynne’s passion was her Loyalist heritage, and to that end she has been awarded a number of Loyalist Certificates from the UELAC.
Lynne has also been the coordinator of information on the Strader Family gathered from various people, publications, and tombstones.
She and her late husband, Mahlon, transcribed the tombstones in most of the cemeteries in Dundas County and surrounding areas. Several of these transcriptions are available on line on her web site, http://www.empey.ca/Lynne/lynnecook.html
Lynne will be dearly missed by sister-in-law Evelyn Robinson (Doug) of Elma and nieces Ruth Turner (Brian) of Barrie, Ann Moore (Stan) of Cardinal, and nephew Donald Robinson of Elma.
She will be fondly remembered by several cousins and friends.
Visitors were welcomed at the Marsden Mclaughlin Funeral Home in Williamsburg, on Friday, March 18th. Funeral service was held at the Funeral Home on Saturday, March 19, 2016.
Online condolences may be made at http://www.marsdenmclaughlin.com
Interment of Cremated Remains, Spruce Haven Cemetery, Brinston, ON.
Be the first to comment