Justine "Judy" Cook

Justine (Judy) Cook, née Sulskis, of East Lansing, Michigan, died Monday, August 22, 2011 at the age of 88. Judy was born on August 10, 1923 in Binghamton, New York. After graduating from high school, she went to nursing school. Following a brief stint working at the Agfa Film Laboratories in Binghamton, she moved to Ann Arbor to study education at the University of Michigan in 1945. She met her future husband, John Cook, in the ICC Co-Operative "Owen" House when he was an aspiring playwright, along with several other people who would become lifelong friends. After graduating from U-M, they married and moved to East Lansing, where she taught at Red Cedar and Central elementary schools, and later worked with visually-impaired children through the Michigan School for the Blind. She was a volunteer at Sparrow Hospital for over 25 years, and also volunteered for the Red Cross Blood Bank and the RE Olds Museum. She deeply loved her husband, her children, her garden, and books, and always remained curious about the world around her. She was a passionate gardener and loved learning about native Michigan wildflowers and songbirds. She was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, John R. Cook. She is survived by two beloved daughters, Kathy Cook of Chicago, Illinois, and Jennifer Cook of East Lansing, Michigan, and one treasured grandson, Rostam John Cook, also of East Lansing; her brother, Al Sulskis, of Lansing, Michigan; three beloved nieces, Leslie Sulskis of Lansing, Michigan; Anne (Cook) Merkel of Chelsea, Michigan; and Maureen (Cook) Gallagher of Salem, New Hampshire; and four great-nephews, Brian and George Merkel and Chris and Jamey Gallagher.

A memorial service will be held on September 3, 2011. Please contact the family for details at (773) 301-3108.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Mother Teresa House, PO Box 13004, Lansing, Michigan, 48901.