Dorothy Cooke

WILSON- Dorothy Whitehead Woodard Cooke died in peace on October 25, 2013 at Lower Cape Fear Hospice and Life Care Center in Whiteville.

Funeral, Sunday, 2 PM, First United Methodist Church. The family will be at the church one hour prior to funeral.

Dorothy was born in Wilson to Dr. Charles Augustus Woodard and Dorothy Whitehead Woodard on August 17, 1927. She attended Charles L. Coon High School where she played clarinet in the band. She was graduated from St. Mary's School in Raleigh in 1945. Dorothy attended Duke University in Durham and graduated in 1949 with a BA in English Literature. She was a member of Kappa Delta Sorority.

Dorothy returned to Wilson and married Dr. Charles Scarboro Cooke in 1950. She was a member of First United Methodist Church and served a term as President of the Wilson Junior Woman's Club. Dorothy and Charles traveled extensively and they enthusiastically supported the North Carolina Arts Society and the Wilson Arts Council. Dorothy was a benefactress of a wide variety of religious and community organizations including Duke Divinity School, Barton College and Wilson Community College. Dorothy mostly loved her family, her church, her friends and her books. Dorothy was a graceful woman with a ready laugh and a generous heart. She was always interested in people and most especially newcomers who brought their varied talents and gifts to her beloved community of Wilson throughout the years.

Preceding Dorothy in death where her parents, grandparents, Howell Gray and Nolia Gardner Whitehead, and her husband, Charles.

Dorothy is survived by her daughter, Jane Woodard Cooke Hawthorne, her son-in-law, Henry Claiborne Hawthorne, III and three grandchildren: Jane Woodard Hawthorne, Henry Claiborne Hawthorne, IV and Caroline Benthall Hawthorne who live in Whiteville. She is also survived by her nephews, Quinton Edwin Cooke, Jr. of Wilmington, Michael Sewell Cooke of Raleigh and Manning Patrick Cooke, Jr. of Pullman, WA.

Memorials are suggested to First United Methodist Church, PO Box 1423, Wilson NC 27894-1423, Barton College, PO Box 5000, Wilson NC 27893-7000, or charity of your choice.