Virgil Franklin Cook was my oldest brother. I love him so much. He truly was the kind of big brother every little girl deserves. My sister, Joyce and I were privileged to be able to present his life sketch at his funeral. It was an honor and great blessing to be able to do this for our brother. Oh my goodness, how I miss him. We'll meet again someday, Frank. Until then know that you are loved and missed beyond measure.
Life Sketch of Virgil Franklin Cook
Given 5 February 2000
By his sisters: Joyce C. Wilson and Lois C. Berrett
Virgil
Franklin Cook was born August 31, 1939 in Rigby, Idaho to Virgil Nelson Cook
and Ruth Elizabeth Proctor.
Frank’s father
had passed away earlier that year in February from a stroke not even knowing
that Ruth was expecting Frank. Ruth
found out after Virgil was called to his Heavenly Home that she was expecting
Frank and wondered how she was ever going to have the money to pay a doctor and
take care of her baby.
Frank was born a
month early and weighed only five pounds.
He had tiny curls all over his head.
When Frank was born, his mother saw Virgil standing in the doorway
dressed in white. When the doctor told
Ruth that the baby was fine and healthy Virgil disappeared. Ironically it was Cleo, Virgil’s brother, who
drove Ruth to the hospital and then waited in the car for news of the
birth. Cleo would later marry Ruth and
raise Frank as his own son. Cleo and
Ruth were married in December 1939.
There was never any favoritism or partiality shown by Cleo to any of us
other kids. He truly loved Frank and
treated him as his own. As far as us
kids, Frank was our full brother in every way.
|
Dad, (Cleo) and Frank outside Church in Roberts, Idaho |
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Mom, (Ruth), Dad, (Cleo) and Frank |
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Dad, Frank, and Mom |
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Dad, Frank, and Grandpa Cook (James Edward Cook) |
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Grandpa Cook (James Edward) holding Frank |
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Mother and Frank |
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Mother and Frank at home in Roberts, Idaho |
Frank hated bananas. Because he
was so little the doctor told Ruth to feed him lots of bananas and he would
grow tall. So she feed him lots and lots
of bananas. This just goes to show that
doctors don’t know everything. Frank
didn’t grow too tall but he did learn to hate bananas.
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Dad, Mom, Theron and Frank |
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Frank and Theron |
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Theron and Frank |
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Theron and Frank |
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Theron and Frank |
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Frank and Theron with their dog |
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Theron and Frank |
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Theron and Frank on sleigh |
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Theron and Frank on sleigh |
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Frank riding his trike |
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Frank and Theron eating watermelon |
Frank had 3 younger brothers, Theron, Kay
and Darrell, and two younger sisters, Joyce, and Lois. Darrell was killed at
age 23 while working for the Union Pacific Railroad as a switchman in a freak
train accident.
Frank’s early years were spent on a farm
in Roberts, Idaho. He and Theron was
quite a pair. What one couldn't think of
to do to get into mischief the other one could.
One day while playing hide and seek with their younger sister, Joyce,
they got tired to tending her so they decided to ditch her. They locked her in the outhouse. Ruth went outside to see where the kids
were. She found the boys but no
Joyce. She asked them where she was but
they said they had forgotten where they put her. Everyone started to hunt for Joyce. Ruth became quite frightened as there was
water running through the barnyard and in some places quite deep. They kept calling her name. Ruth finally went around by the outhouse and
heard someone sobbing. The door was
locked on the outside so it looked as if no one was in there. But when she opened the door, there lay Joyce
on the floor where she had cried herself to sleep. When Ruth showed the boys what they had done
to their little sister, they replied,” Oh, we remember, we put her in there
because she was pestering us.” They felt
bad but their bottoms felt worse when Ruth got through with them.
|
Frank and Theron
|
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Frank with his catch of the day |
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Frank proudly showing you his fish. |
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Theron and Frank fishing |
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Theron and Frank fishing |
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Frank, Joyce and Theron |
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Frank, Joyce and Theron |
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Frank and Joyce |
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Frank, Joyce and Theron |
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Frank, Theron, and Joyce |
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Theron, Frank and Joyce |
From Roberts, the family moved to Rigby,
Idaho, where again Cleo farmed. Frank
was old enough now to help out with some of the farm work. It was here that Frank learned to swim in the
dry bed that ran through the farm.
|
Frank and Theron |
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Lois cannot figure out why her brothers look so strange. |
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Frank, Theron, Lois and Joyce |
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Frank and Theron on horse |
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Frank, Joyce and Theron on horse |
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Frank, Joyce and Theron |
From
Rigby, they moved to Menan, Idaho for a short time and then on to Lovell,
Wyoming, where Cleo worked on the high power lines for a year.
|
Frank in Lovelle, Wyoming |
What wonderful memories. Pictures are wonderful to help me remember. I sure do love all my brothers and my sis. Very much. How great it well be to see and be with all those who have passed on.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lois for all of these wonderful posts to remind me how very blessed I am.