Mary Cook

Mary Cook passed away peacefully February 19, 2022, at the age of 85 years. She was born September 30, 1936, in Freemont, Michigan, to Lowell and Dorothy Fisher. They named her Mary Antoinette Fisher, but the family always called her Toni. After graduating from high school as the salutatorian of her class, she married Donald Cook on May 13, 1955, and they settled in Ionia, Michigan. For the next ten years she spent her days seeing to the many and varied needs of their five children. To help her growing family make ends meet she began what today would be called a daycare center in her home. Taking care of children became her calling, one which she would answer for the next forty years.

In time, the daycare center became a foster home and eventually a group home for emotionally and physically challenged children. Over the years, Mary provided shelter and care for over 350 children. Many of them were with her for years, and a few, whom she felt would have nowhere else to go, she adopted as her own.

After retirement, Mary enjoyed watching her own family grow and scatter to make their own way in the world. She loved to play cards with friends and was active in her local church’s activities. When her health began to fail, she moved, with her daughter Linda, and son Matthew, to the home of her son Thomas and his wife Jean, in Illinois, where she enjoyed peaceful days reading entire books without interruption.

Mary, who was called Toni by her siblings, and Ma by hundreds of others, is survived by her children Thomas (Jean) and Linda of Cary, IL, Michael (Melissa), Timothy (Theresa), and Matthew of Ionia, MI., and Douglas (Sally) of Frankfort, MI., 21 grandchildren and 45 great grandchildren. She is also survived by two brothers, Russell and Roger, and her devoted sister, Sheri. She was preceded in death by her daughter, Nancy, and her sister, Karen. Cremation has taken place and a memorial service is being planned for the spring.