Barbara Ann (Eberle) Cook

My mother died on Monday, 24 January 2022 and I have missed her since her last breath left her body. I will miss her forever, but I hold strong in the faith that we will be together again in the great hereafter.

If you are a regular reader here at Just Frances, you will know that I share a lot of things with Mum in mind. From adventures and travels to cooking and crafts, I have used this blog to share my life with her so that the distance between us didn’t feel as vast. I imagine that in the days, weeks, months, and years to follow, I will share more about her, and I will continue to share for her, too.

But for now, I simply want to share her obituary with you. Whilst there are not enough words to describe the kind of woman my mother was, we have attempted to summarise her life as best as we can.

Mum, you were loved. You are loved. And you will always be loved. I will carry you in my heart and in my memories forever.

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Obituary for my mother, Barbara Ann (Eberle) Cook

Originally published in the Northern Kittitas County Tribune on 03 February 2022.

Barbara Ann (Eberle) Cook, 74, died January 24, 2022, at Madigan Army Medical Center, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Washington. She was born on April 29, 1947, in Little Falls, Minnesota. As a young child, Barbara lived in Auburn, Easton, Martin, Stampede, and Ellensburg (Washington) where her father, Claude, worked as a telegrapher for the NP Railroad. The family then settled in South Cle Elum, Washington in 1954. Barbara was a cheerleader at South Cle Elum Elementary School and was a member of the local Camp Fire Girls group. She attended the Ursuline Aspirancy in Belleville, Illinois before graduating from Cle Elum High School in 1965.

After high school, Barbara attended Yakima Valley Community College before enlisting in the United States Marines Corps in May 1966. After boot camp in Parris Island, South Carolina she was transferred to San Diego, California to work in communications where she met a fellow Marine, Roy Cook, in 1968. They were married on June 21, 1969, at St John the Baptist Catholic Church in Cle Elum, Washington.

Barbara was honorably discharged from the Marines in May 1969. In 1974, she re-joined the Marines as a reservist. She returned to Cle Elum in 1983 where she and Roy raised their six daughters. Barbara took an active role in supporting her daughters’ school and club activities; she also took an interest in her daughters’ friends’ activities, many of whom still consider her their “other mother”. In addition, she worked as a prep cook at The Cottage Cafe in Cle Elum and The Blue Grouse and Hearthstone Cottage Retirement Home in Ellensburg for several years.

Barbara had Polycystic Kidney Disease; she started dialysis in 2004 and received a kidney transplant in 2006. Despite this, she and Roy enjoyed traveling and made numerous road trips throughout the Western United States. During these trips, Barbara was able to indulge in her hobbies of birdwatching and rockhounding, as well as visiting cemeteries for researching family genealogy. In between trips, she worked to keep the family’s culinary heritage alive by compiling, publishing, and distributing family cookbooks to her daughters and siblings.

Barbara’s family and friends will miss her “cough syrup” and Roy will miss her pies, but not as much as they will all miss her.

Barbara is survived by her husband, Roy; daughters Veronica (Mark) Soderstrom, Claudia (Ivan) Osmonovich, Frances Ryan, Celeste (Jeff Caldwell) Mills, Jessica (Michael) Blake, and Royann (Javier) Mercado Perez; siblings Stephanie Eberle, Frederick (Becky) Eberle, Christopher Eberle, Elizabeth Eberle, and Michael Eberle; and eleven precious grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Claude and Virginia (Tretter) Eberle; brother, Joseph Eberle; brother-in-law, Henry Cook; granddaughter, Jasmine; and son-in-law, Paul Ryan.

Funeral services will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the PKD Foundation (www.PKDCure.org) or to your local food bank.