Barbara Ruth White Cooke, 86, of Williamsburg, VA, passed away peacefully Tuesday, June 12th, 2018. Barbara was the daughter of John White & Elizabeth Ruth (Beck) White and was born on February 2, 1932 in Jersey City, NJ. She attended Dickinson High School, in Jersey City, NJ. She married the love of her life, John Robert Cooke, on April 14th, 1951. She was a graduate of Drake Secretarial School, in Jersey City, NJ.
Barbara was a friend to everyone and to know her was to love her. She was incredibly dedicated to her family and treated everyone as though they were family.
She traveled the world with her husband and lived in many places, but her heart was always in New Jersey.
She was a member of St. Bede Catholic Church in Williamsburg, VA. She was also a dedicated member of the Notre Dame Women’s Advisory council for 17 years. She was an avid member of various book clubs and the Raleigh Tavern Society in Colonial Williamsburg. She was passionate about the University of Notre Dame and a huge lover of animals, especially her beloved cat “Baby”.
Barbara is survived by her loving husband, John Cooke; her two children, Jeffrey (Shelly) Cooke and Caryn (Gary) Newcomb; her three grandchildren, Mindy (James) Cooke-Bowman, Keely (Josh) McClain and Tanner (Mark Thompson) Newcomb; she was also “Nanny” to Michelle, Sephie, Abbie, Jeffrey, Grady, Ryan and one on the way; her dear sister, Joan (Donald) Rickert, many cousins, nieces & nephews and endless friends she felt were family too. She was preceded in death by her father, Valentine John White; her mother, Elizabeth “Ruthy” Beck White and her two beloved grandsons, Ryan Cooke & Cameron Cooke, who she missed dearly.
A visitation will be held from 5:00 PM to 9:00 PM on Monday, June 18th, 2018 at Nelsen Funeral Home, 3785 Strawberry Plains Road, Williamsburg, VA. A Funeral Mass will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, June 19th, 2018 at St. Bede Catholic Church, 10 Harrison Ave, Williamsburg, VA 23185 with an immediate graveside service at Cedar Grove Cemetery, South Henry Street.
In lieu of flowers, the Cooke Family asks that donations be made to the Williamsburg Community Foundation to the Ryan Gregory Cooke Memorial Fund. Online condolences may be shared with the family at www.nelsenwilliamsburg.com.
Life is like the ocean. It can be calm or still, and rough or rigid, but in the end, it is always beautiful.