Obituary of Adrian Leslie "Lee" Cook

ADRIAN LESLIE “LEE” COOK November 19, 1954 – February 12, 2023 Lee was born and raised in Seattle with her mother and father Trudie and Bill Golden, and her sister Sherry. Lee graduated from Evergreen High School in 1973. She worked as a bank teller, then at the Social Security Administration for 19 years in Seattle, Olympia, and Auburn. Lee stopped working in 1991 to be a full-time caregiver for her mother-in-law, Colleen Cook. Five months later, Colleen passed away from cancer and Lee became a stay-at-home mother and housewife. Some years later, Lee returned to work part-time to earn some “walking around” money for fun. She took on a job as a product demonstrator at Costco in Federal Way. She became a team leader, supplying all the demo stations with products. She liked meeting and greeting customers and would share some interesting stories about her interaction with some of them. She enjoyed her job and was good at it! In April 1972, Lee and Glen met at the age of 17. At the time, Glen was Lee’s paperboy. Somehow, Glen got started off on the right foot by taking Lee to the Woodland Park Zoo all day for their first date on April 7, 1972, because as it turned out, Lee was a huge animal lover. For the next 51 years they were inseparable soulmates. Lee married Glen on Christmas night in 1976. Glen left for a one-year Army tour in Korea, and Lee joined Glen in Korea for a 45-day visit mid-tour. Soon after, Glen was stationed at Ft. Lewis which is when Lee and Glen bought a house in Tacoma. Lee’s love for Glen was paramount. Lee always spoiled Glen. For example, for nearly 40 years, Lee would get up early in the morning to make Glen’s lunch and coffee, then carry it to the car for him. She would tell him, “I love you. Be careful and have a good day”. It did not matter the time or weather. Sometimes she would even go outside barefoot. Lee would wave to Glen until he turned the corner and was out of sight. Lee gave birth to two beautiful girls, Sarah in 1984 and Desirae in 1985. Unfortunately, with great sorrow and sadness, Sarah passed away in 2002. This left her with much grief, but she was able to cope with it through the grace of God. Lee was a fun, creative, uplifting, and encouraging mom. She had a bright soul and colorful spirit; full of joy and love for her daughters. Lee was on the PTA and always helped with school projects. In 2018, she became a Nana to Wendy. Her second grandbaby, Daphne, came in 2020. Lee was an active and exceptional Nana to her two grandbabies. She loved to do crafts, paint, bake, and color with them. She would also bring out her jewelry, purses, and shoes for them to play with. Lee and Glen purchased a home within a block from Desirae’s home in Texas with the goal of spending a lot of time with their daughter and grandbabies. Lee was very proud of her daughter and two grandbabies. Lee had a love for animals and owned several rescue cats and dogs her whole life. Her favorite animal in the wild were capybaras and she also loved donkeys. She saved many hurt animals, one being a baby squirrel that was attacked by a crow. She nursed the squirrel back to health for several weeks then took it to a wild critter sanctuary. She also saved several injured birds. Her only exception were spiders who needed to be gently escorted out of the house. Lee was also active in her church and enjoyed teaching Vacation Bible School to little ones. She volunteered on a mission trip to Tapachula, Mexico, where she helped build a church for the local community. Lee loved life and was adventurous. She went parasailing, kayaking, and did polar bear jumps in the cold Lake Chelan water. Her next adventure was to go skydiving. Lee also enjoyed swimming, doing arts and crafts, going on long walks with her pups, and watching scary movies. Her favorite television shows were Perry Mason, Murder She Wrote, and Columbo. Her favorite author was Stephen King. She read all his books and enjoyed his movies. During a motorcycle trip around the country, Glen and Lee stopped by to get a look at Stephen King’s house in Bangor, Maine. Lee enjoyed seeing the many gargoyles on Stephen King’s wrought iron fence. Lee was always a caring, selfless, kind person even through her sickness. Above all else, she was a believer in God and accepted Jesus Christ as her personal savior! Lee was a very loving compassionate person who always thought of other people first. Everyone loved Lee, and many said she was the sweetest, most polite person they ever knew; a true angel on earth. Throughout her illness, her doctor stated she was angelic, always having a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye. There is no doubt that having known Lee made each of us a better person. Lee is survived by her husband Glen, daughter Desirae, granddaughters Wendy and Daphne, sister Sherry, and aunt Anne Golden. Lee was preceded in death by her daughter Sarah, father William, and mother Trudie. Her beautiful soul is now an angel in heaven. In lieu of flowers, and knowing her love for animals, please consider visiting the website for one of the following organizations, and donating in memory of Adrian Cook: Saving Great Animals, based in Seattle, WA (savinggreatanimals.org) Loving Long Ears Donkey Therapy & Sanctuary, Southlake, TX (loving-long-ears-donkey-therapy-sanctuary.business.site) (select “Learn More” to donate). Once on the donation page, please select “Write a note” to designate donation in memory of Adrian Cook. Also, see Loving Long Ears Donkey Facebook page.