Irene Flegle Haden Owen Cook's Obituary
Irene Flegle Haden Owen Cook passed away on June 18, 2015 surrounded by family. She was born November 24, 1926 in Wheeling, WV to John Jacob Owen and Mae Miller Sanders Owen. She attended LSU and was a member of the Alpha Chi Omega Sorority, Beta Gamma Chapter. In addition, she was in both the Kappa Delta Phi and Phi Upsilon Omicron honor societies. She graduated from LSU with a degree in Home Economics Education.
Family was everything to Mrs. Cook. She met her husband Ben H. Cook while at LSU, and they married on August 20, 1948. She and Ben had three children, Lura, Terry, and Paul, to whom they devoted their lives. This devotion extended to their granddaughters and great-grandson as the family grew.
Because of her involvement at Odin Corporation, she was acknowledged in the National Register's Who's Who in Executives & Professionals and the National Association for Female Executives.
Mrs. Cook believed in giving back to her community, serving on the board of the Longview YMCA, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the New York Academy of Science. She and her husband were longtime members of First Methodist Church of Longview. Mrs. Cook was dedicated to the work of the Windridge Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Heartsway Hospice, and was instrumental in the creation of the Judson Metro VFD that serves so many of the people of Longview. She also sponsored the Letourneau University East Texas Honors Scholarship fund.
She loved history and the pursuit of knowledge about everything from the wide world to her own roots. Through her genealogical research she gained membership in numerous patriotic organizations: The Owen Family Association, Orphan Brigade Kinfolk, United Daughters of the Confederacy (R.B. Levy Chapter), Daughters of the American Revolution, National Society of The American Colonist (Sabine River Chapter), The Order of Washington, National Society of Magna Carta Dames to the East Texas Colony, The Plantagenet Society, and The Colonial Order of the Crown.
She was a true matriarch who taught strength and determination to all who knew her, all while maintaining grace and humility. Her loss is felt both in her family and in her community.
She is preceded in death by her parents John and Mae Owen, brothers John Jacob and Curtis Leroy Owen, husband Ben H. Cook, and son Paul Stuart Cook.
She is survived by: her daughters Lura Norman and Terry Slater both of Longview; son-in-law Bill Norman also of Longview; granddaughters Nikki Norman Briscoe of Longview, Tonya Norman of Redding, CA, Katherine Cook of Fort Worth, Sarah Cook of Forth Worth , and Natalie Slater of Tulsa, OK; great-grandson Dylan Briscoe of Longview.
She wanted to especially thank the devoted and dependable care givers and staff who so enriched her life. The family would like to thank the staff at Comfort Keepers for their devoted care and Heartsway Hospice for their outstanding support in her final days.
The visitation will be at Rader Funeral Home in Longview, TX on Friday, June 26, 2015 from 5-7 PM. The funeral will be at First Methodist Church of Longview on Saturday June 27, 2015 at 2 PM with Roy James officiating. A reception will follow the service at Cook Hall.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in her memory, to Windridge Therapeutic Equestrian Center, Heartsway Hospice, First United Methodist Church of Longview, East Texas Honors Scholarship Endowment or the charity of your choice.
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