Gertraude M. Cooke, 84, of Columbus, GA passed away on 22 September 2018 at 11:57 pm, peacefully in her sleep. She was the kind of person always surrounded by loving family and so many friends. She was devoted to the Catholic Church and attended St. Anne Catholic Church regularly and volunteered often in the daycare when younger. Words cannot express the life and loss of Gertraud who so many called Traudi or Oma. Her grandson Bryan, who took care of her for most of the years of her illness, said she spent most of her life loving and praying for others more than for herself. Although she struggled a great deal since her first health scare in 2012 due to a stroke, she tried so hard to hold on through her further mini-strokes, diabetes, and the heart attack she suffered shortly before her heart gave out the day she died. We know now that God felt her journey was over, so she is finally free to walk with her departed loved ones, the angels, and saints in Heaven.
We will try to remember she spent most of her life following the path of the Lord, not just the last years of struggle. Her parting left a void for so many, but we hope to be strong and fill it with remembered joy and laughter, a life full of love for her family, good friends, good times, and the years spent with her husband's devotion and love. She traveled all over the world with her many friends and visited her home and family in Germany as often as possible. She was completely devoted to her sons and made sure they always had a happy home. All of the family called her Oma, German for grandmother, and her grandchildren always knew she would be there for them as they grew up, never missing a game, or school functions, or even harder times such as surgeries or illnesses. Although ill, she tried her best to do the same for their children in Columbus. Many of their friends loved her as well as they grew up. We remember so many happy holidays, good food, times playing games and cards, and so many years of unconditional love and joy. I still remember her friends visiting from Germany, and we all laughed as she started to speak German to us, and English to her friends.
She was born December 18, 1933, in Augsburg, Germany. Her parents were Josef Schmid and Johanna Mair. She met and fell in love with her husband, Jesse Cooke, when he was stationed in the Army near her home in Augsburg. We fondly remember stories of their courtship even though she did not speak English when they met, and he spoke only a little German in the beginning. She always said that it was hard to leave her family and home to come to America, and her husband was deployed four times during the Vietnam War, but they managed and had fun, and she always said her children really taught her to speak English. Their children, Harold and Edward Cooke were born in Augsburg as well, naturalized later in the states. She worked at Swift Textiles for 25 years and 14 years as a Crossing Guard for the school system. She loved her job as a Crossing Guard and looking after the children where she was stationed. She would always make sure not only that they were safe, but would often make goody bags for them at times like Halloween and Valentine's Day.
She was preceded in death by her husband, Jesse A. Cooke, SFC (Retired) and former Chief of Police at Columbus State University; and her brother Horst Schmid. Horst's wife Barbara still lives in Detroit, but has remained in touch, calling often, never forgetting a birthday or holiday. She is survived by her sons, Ed and his wife Jenny, Harold (who she continued to call Frank always) and his wife, Gail; grandchildren, Bryan, Frank (wife Michele) , and Joe Cooke ( wife Erin) ; She was blessed to live to know her Great-grandchildren, Frank and Michele's-Megan, Cason, and Lana; and Joe and Erin's, Link, and Kiley.
