Time passes quickly but memories tend to linger and pop up to remind us of loved ones gone on.
Such is the case in remembering this lady. Thanks for her love, always.
Ywanda 

Time passes by So quickly. But even though this is true, somehow  memories of our our loved ones are held dear as we remember them. This is a consolation of times gone by, hopefully never to be forgotten. Today let us hold in our hearts the love she gave that we  received in return that we shared.
To my “Bonus” Mom

Dear Friends and Family of Juanita P. Cooke, 
             I'm very sorry for your loss. I didn't know Juanita personally but I have spent a lifetime trying to understand how proteins fold - a biochemical problem that Juanita pioneered in the early days of this field. Juanita's work in the Anfinsen Lab at NIH back in the 50's and 60's earned Dr. Anfinsen a Nobel Prize in 1972. I wanted to make sure that her work and contributions to the field are acknowledged and appreciated in this digital memorial. Truly an inspirational research scientist who paved the way for many others behind her. May she rest in Peace. 
-Kambiz Hamadani
https://historyatnih.tumblr.com/post/171659743745/juanita-cooke-had-an-eventful-34-year-career-at

Ms. Cooke was like a mother to us.  There are a lot of good memories but, as stated during the memorial service,  her meals were the best!  Not only did we enjoy the cobbler, but also the incredible corned beef and cabbage!  Charlesetta has told everyone about Ms. Cooke's corned beef and cabbage and tries to prepare it the way she did!

We could not be there today, but our thoughts and prayers are with the Cooke family.

-- Eddie and Charlesetta Clark

"Gramaneet"

That's what we called her ever since we could talk.

Her name was Juanita, and Pappap (Her husband and out grandfather) called her "neet" and when she became our grandmother 

we put two and two together and thus the name Grammaneet was born.

I was always an attention hog, and I know for a fact I would have been a far less humble person if not for my service to Jehovah God and for my Grammaneet's pragmatic teaching.

She was always a realist; she looked at things as they were, not as she would have liked them to be.

Above all, she always put others first. Anyone who knew her knew how genuine and honest she was. She didn't cut corners and she never ever sugar-coated her words. Instead she gave you real advice based upon her real experiences, so those who knew her would grow to become real people, people who cared, people who loved without expecting anything in return. That's just who Gramaneet was and will soon be again, Jehovah willing.

I will never forget the words that she taught me. She told me that I should always appreciate a dollar and be thankful to the person who gave it to me and if I acted up she said "I don't care how tall you get I'll still get in the chair and knock that head".

I'm glad she did, because those words never left me just like she will never leave me. 

It is with sadness (on Juanita passing) yet great joy (for a life well lived) I offer condolences to my Page-Cooke family. As the matriarch of the Hilton(Hylton)/St.Clair branch of our family tree, she always made it a point of importance to travel from DC to Roanoke to attend our family’s annual July 4th reunion celebration.

May we all take comfort in knowing that Juanita was a blessing to us all. Through her spirited wit, yummy cooking, kindness and most of all her total love of family and friends. I thank God for blessing each of us with the living testament of Juanita’s life.

To my “ Bonus Mom”
A bonus can be defined as an extra benefit or even a gift. Truly you were/are that for me. It was a great pleasure to have shared time with you. I will always be grateful for your special way of giving me unconditional love. I am truly grateful to have had you in my life and me in yours. You will be missed but never forgotten.  Rest In Peace.
Love, Ywanda

What Gramaneet Taught Me 

Any death is better than starving to death and food is love. 
If you don't want it don't eat it, and sometimes eyes are bigger than stomachs.
Presentation matters. Except when it doesn't. 
Recipes are approximations and baking is Chemistry. 
Sometimes your pie crust has cracks. You make it work. 
Whoever eats the most potatoes eats the most lumps.
She taught me to drink life in and share at the table until all present had a plenty and had dined sufficiently. 

Sometimes a choice amounts to six in one hand and half a dozen in the other. 
If it was a snake it would have bitten the bull in the China shop. 
How to thread a needle and work a crochet hook. 
"Alright now" means that's enough and "putrid" means odd colored nail polish. 
Friendships can span decades, age gaps miles and hardship. 
Education is priceless.
Don't wait until the 11th hour and early is on time. 
You don't need to yell to make yourself heard.
Know when to yield and when to stand your ground. Be accommodating when you can but assertive where you need.
Show gratitude. 
Don't take yourself too seriously; laugh at your mistakes.
To thy own self be true; you're the only one who can chart your course.

She showed me that excellence can look effortless. She told me she had forgotten more than I would ever learn and yet, she taught me so much of what I know and hold dear. What she taught me shaped me into the woman that I am and I only wish she were still here to see me grow into the version of myself I wish was more like her. 


To my cousins,

My sincere condolences.  My earliest memory was Juanita would come home from college, and a few years later she and Henry would come from Washington.    I remember many summers and Christmas when they would come to Roanoke.  When she would visit, I remember her having lots of friends with whom she would spend time.

Down to earth, genuine, sincere and smart.   She was always kind.  She had the traits of Aunty and Uncle Claude, she loved family and friends.   She was devoted to her clans, the  Pages and the Hylton-Joyce’s.

Reunions will not be the same without her.  We will miss her energy and her no nonsense.

The ancestors have welcomed her home.   You know Henry has a whole bunch of stories to tell her.

Love her and love you all.

 Cousin Charles



"Till the evening shadows fall, till we heed our last clear call.  Mother may we offer thee, lives of worth & purity?"
-Alma Mater, Bennett College
Ms. Juanita so lived her life to the words of our beloved Alma Mater.  There wasn't anything she wouldn't do for Bennett College or her Bennett Sisters.  Her home, her arms and her heart was always opened with love.  I am truly honored and blessed to be her Bennett Sister and to have received the love that she gave.  
To the Cooke family, know that those we love don't go away, they walk beside us everyday.

The song says " it's so hard to say goodbye ", and it is. As Juanita's Daughter in law, I thought I knew her well, however, I was just scratching the surface. In speaking with some of her past school and work mates, I got to hear about so many more of her outstanding accomplishments.   " She came, she saw, and she certainly made a big difference". She has continued to amaze me to this day.
Juanita, you are no longer in pain, and now you can rest in peace.

My sincere condolences to The Late Juanita Cooke Family.
I met Juanita at NIH in 1956.  I also met her late husband who also worked at The NIH.  Henry was an interesting guy and really enjoyed fishing..
Durin g the 70's and 80's Juanita, LaVon, Jim and Erma travelled quite lot and we always enjoyed great dinin g and sight seeing. I will always remember one of our trips to San Francico when I was the "leader" and we did a walking tour of San Francisco.  We walked so much in one day that Juanita had to purchae a new pair of shoes. She retired many years ago but we kept her in or minds and thoughts ever since. Juanita Cooke, may God rest your soul in Heaven.  Best wishes to the one left behind.

Juanita Page Cooke is the reason I am a successful black male scientist.  I am a successful Program Director at the National Institutes of Health and a Professor at Yale University.  Without her advice and support some 40 years ago, this would not have happened.  May she Rest in Peace knowing how may people she has helped in her rich life.  I will miss her also as a friend of my family.  By chance, I happened meet one of her best friend's daughter, and we have been married with two boys for 30 years. Knowing her for these two reasons may be God's work. 

OBITUARY

Juanita Page Cooke

May 23, 1931 – February 16, 2021

Fort Lincoln Funeral Home & Cemetery

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders