Loretta Lucille Cooke

Memorial services for Loretta Lucille Cooke, age 81, of Gainesville will be held Saturday, April 11, 2009 at 2:00 p. m. in the Saint Jo United Methodist Church with the Reverend Sam Campbell of the Forestburg United Methodist Church officiating and under the direction of the Geo. J. Carroll & Son funeral home.

Mrs. Cooke passed away on April 1, 2009 at River Valley Health and Rehabilitation Center in Gainesville from complications of Alzheimer’s disease.

Loretta was born on March 15, 1928 in Seminole, Oklahoma, daughter of John V. and Bertha Mae Maples Hale. She graduated from high school in Bearden, Oklahoma as valedictorian of her class. Shortly after graduation she moved to Saint Jo where she met David L. Cooke, and they were married on July 27, 1947 in Saint Jo.

As well as being a homemaker, Loretta worked at the Russell-Newman Lingerie Co. in Saint Jo for a number of years. She was active in civic affairs and served on the board of directors of the Saint Jo Civic Center. She resided in Saint Jo for over 60 years, moving to Gainesville in 2006. She was preceded in death by her parents, 3 brothers and a sister.

Loretta is survived by her husband, David L. Cooke of Gainesville, son and daughter- in-law David Monte and Landy Cooke of Southlake, Texas, and brother Leon Hale of Lindsay, Oklahoma, along with numerous nephews and nieces including Brenda Schmitz of Denton.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association (www.alz.org 1-800-272-3900) and/or Home Hospice of Cooke County (www.homehospice.org 940-665-9891).