Obituary of Barbara Maria Cook

“The loons of Little Kildare are calling her Home." Barbara Maria Cook died peacefully and with a giggle - her daughter, Anne, nearby - on March 4, 2020, at the age of 78. She passed over into the arms of her beloved family who had gone before her - her husband, Frank, daughter, Jenn and son, Ike. Barb’s loving, generous and hilarious personality remained intact, right up to her last day, as she literally LIT UP when her family was by her side and was still ready with the punch-line to the oldest of family jokes. She had been under the loving care of the staff at Delhi Rehab & Nursing Home, Delhi, NY, since July 2019. Barbara was born February 21, 1942 in Watertown, NY, to Frank and Grace (Stock) Geglia, the oldest of six daughters. Her life’s winding path brought her to working for Frank Cook at his company, Cook Engineering, and that is where their love story began. Together, they took on the world, full-speed ahead, living fully, traveling often, laughing and crying through the hard times, laughing and crying in deep appreciation of the really good times. Home for Barbara and Frank and their family was both Adams, NY and Balsam Brook in the Adirondacks. While it was her beloved husband who skillfully designed and built those homes, Barbara’s dynamic spark added to the strong foundations with love, laughter, song, adventure, play, delicious homemade food and her deep respect for nature. Not only were her children and grandchildren recipients of her gifts, but countless friends and extended family knew they were always at home when they walked through the door. They were enthusiastically embraced by her smile, her baked goods, and her desire to truly know you. Laughing with the children is where Barbara could usually be found ~ whether it was her own, her grandchildren, her nieces and nephews, great-nieces and nephews, the children of Adams Heights and Little Kildare, or a child sitting at the table next to her at a restaurant. She enjoyed seeing the world through their eyes and she gleefully allowed their perspective to bring joy to her world, diving into their interests right alongside them. Thus, a beautiful way to see Barbara is through the eyes of her grandchildren. She had three different grandmother names and loved them all! Her eldest grandchild, Averi (born 1990) said, “I carry my Nana’s deep appreciation of beauty and grace with me every day. We connect (still) so deeply over beauty - the trees, a poem, the sky, the day. When I would show her my art and read her my poetry, she would ABSORB it all and truly feel it - tears would always come to her eyes. I knew she saw who I am in my work. She had a reverence for beauty and a way of making space for it and making it seem still and important and true all at once.” Sam (born 1994) recalled the time when he was a chef at a local restaurant and his Nana came in for the first time. She stood by the cooking station, just WATCHING his every move… and all the other employees allowed her that space. Every second of that meal, every morsel, was precious to her. She licked her plate clean, held it up and said loudly, to the entire restaurant, “My grandson made this!” Sam added, “She always told me how proud she was of me and that always felt really good. I always felt very loved by her.” Lucas (born 1996) shared, “My time together with Grandma Barb was always so special. I was always excited to see her no matter what we were doing, whether we were making a pie crust, exploring the woods at camp, or just simply sitting and talking, every moment was special. She helped foster my love for film, nature, story telling, and above all, music. All her love and care for me helped shape who I am today.” Marlo (born 2002) also says that it was her Grammy who shaped who she is today due to, amongst many other things, her love of nature and the outdoors. Marlo holds particularly precious memories of the times they spent together building fairy houses at camp and hugging trees! Jude (born 2005) shared that some of his sweetest memories are in the years he got to be with his Grammy at her house after school. He said, “She would always make me something to eat or have something to do that would make my day.” When Franklin (born 2017) was just a baby, he visited his Grammy for the first time and planted his very first big slobbery baby kisses on her cheek! He could feel that his Grammy was welcoming him right into her heart and he couldn’t wait to get in there! Being with Barbara always held the sweet anticipation of fun, laughter and adventure. You could relax into the feeling of being seen and being taken care of when you were with her. It is exactly those feelings that will live with us all forever. Every one of us can connect with Barbara’s vibrant spirit, generous love and bright light by lifting our faces to the sun, closing our eyes and opening our arms wide, receiving and celebrating the gifts of this life, this world, this moment, here and now - just as she always did. Barbara is survived by her two daughters, Karen Heaslip, Syracuse, NY, and Anne Ohman, Franklin, NY, from her early marriage to their father, Paul Plummer; Karen’s son, Lucas, Syracuse, NY; Anne’s husband, Dave Ohman and their children, Averi, Meridale, NY, and Sam, Arlington, VA; her daughter-in-law, Celia Cook, Adams, NY and her children with Ike, Marlo and Jude; her daughter-in-law, Moira Collins-Cook, Providence, RI and her son, Franklin. Barbara is also survived by her five sisters: Donna Huck (Bob), Camillus,NY, Suzanne Bazinet (Bill), Broomfield, CO, Nancy Abbott (Monty), Yarmouth Port, MA, Patricia Goczalk (Bob), Litchfield, NH, and Mary Lou Marx (Mike), Huntington, NY, and many nieces and nephews. There will be a *Celebration of Barbara* in the future, location and date yet to be determined. .