Marie Carroll Cooke

Marie Carroll Cooke died peacefully at home in Denver Colorado on December 21, 2021 in the loving company of her four children. She died of natural causes, which she accepted with grace, dignity, and strength of spirit that defined her life.

She was born on November 11, 1933 in Kansas City, Kansas to John and Catherine Carroll, the second of five children. She grew up in a strong Irish Catholic family with both grandparents born in Ireland. As a result, humor dominated her upbringing with singing, dancing and story-telling as constant companions, along with her four brothers.

Marie graduated from Bishop Ward High School in 1951 and attended St. Theresa College and St. Joseph Hospital, earning her RN degree in 1954. She married Sidney Merritt Cooke in 1960 and continued nursing while raising their four children. She then worked for the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence where she developed and taught a program called C.A.R.E for children living with an addicted parent. Later, she taught smoking cessation classes and she facilitated classes for adults living with an addict. At the end of her professional career, she managed heart screenings for Blue Cross and Blue Shield retiring in 2013, at which time she moved to Denver to be near her two daughters. Overall, Marie made a significant contribution to understanding substance use disorder and worked with children and adults to ease the suffering of so many living with the disease.

Some things we will always remember and love about our dear Marie -- she loved conversation, Neil Diamond, movies, margaritas, current affairs, Al-Anon, CNN, shrimp scampi, her large network of friends, but most of all she loved her family. Her great smile will always be remembered! She had a full and bountiful life, was well loved and is now one of the many bright stars in the heavens above.

She is survived by her four children Sidney Cooke (Imi), Megan Cooke, Timothy Cooke (Maureen) and Molly Brandsma (Mike); six grandchildren Conner Brandsma, Keegan Cooke, Cole Brandsma, Keila Cooke, Sidney Tai Cooke, and Elijah Cooke; and two brothers John (Marilyn) and Mike (Susan) Carroll; her sister-in-law Nancy Carroll (Barney); her cousin Mary Frances Fehr; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by two of her four brothers, Barney and Joe Carroll, and her sister-in-law, Jeri Carroll.

Memorial Service will be on Saturday, April 30th, 2022 at St. Theresa Little Flower at 5814 Euclid Avenue, Kansas City, MO 64130, 12:00 pm mass with reception following at church. The service will be live-streamed at https://www.facebook.com/St-Therese-Little-Flower-Catholic-Church-1670956826464791/

In the interim, please take a moment to visit Marie’s memorial website and post a message and/or share a photo: https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/centennial-co/marie-cooke-10504083

Memorial contributions are welcome in her honor to support First Call KC and those impacted by substance use disorder: https://www.firstcallkc.org/donate

Marie has asked that you remember her in the Prayer for Eternal Rest and the family asks that you remember: “What we once enjoyed and deeply loved we can never lose, For all that we love deeply becomes a part of us.”

"Do Not Stand At My Grave"

Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep.

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glint on snow.

I am the gentle showers of rain,

I am the fields of ripening grain.

I am in the morning hush,

I am in the graceful rush

Of beautiful birds in circling flight.

I am the starshine of the night.

I am in the flowers that bloom,

I am in a quiet room.

I am in the birds that sing,

I am in each lovely thing.

Do not stand at my grave and cry,

I am not there. I did not die.

-Mary Elizabeth Frye