Donella Cook
Donella Cook
Donella Cook, 89, of Creston, died Saturday, October 19, 2024, at Crest Haven Care Centre in Creston. Celebration of Life Services will be 10:30 a.m. Saturday October 26, 2024, at Powers Funeral Home in Afton. Pastor Phil Price will officiate. Services will be livestreamed. Burial will be at Greenlawn Cemetery in Afton at a later date. Open visitation, with the family to receive friends will be from 9-10:30 a.m. before services on Saturday at Powers Funeral Home in Afton. Casual attire or Kansas City Chiefs attire is requested. Memorials can be directed to the family to be determined. Online condolences may be made at www.powersfh.com.
Donella Louise Cook was born January 22, 1935, in Ringgold Co., Ia., to Ray Wilbur Marsh and Mary Alice (Wardrip) Marsh. She lived all her life in Iowa, except for the 3 years that she spent in Oregon as a preschooler. She attended country school through the 8th grade and graduated from Mt. Ayr High School in 1953.
Donella was united in marriage to James Walter Cook on June 29th, 1952. She worked at Banker’s Life Ins. in Des Moines while Jim was in the Army in Japan. They farmed for a few years and then moved to Red Oak for 4 years, lived in Waterloo for 2 years, before making their home in Creston. Donella baked and decorated wedding cakes while being an active mother and homemaker, and also worked for several years as a bookkeeper, retiring from S.W. Distributing after 23 years. She loved crocheting, sewing, bowling, reading, and in her later years she enjoyed oil painting, and painting the many crafts that Jim made. She became a KC Chiefs fan when Mahomes became the quarterback and enjoyed watching soap operas, like the Bold and the Beautiful since 1987, recording daily so she never missed an episode. Donella attended Crest Baptist Church in Creston.
Survivors include her husband Jim Cook of Creston, four daughters, Lynnette Gross, of Apache Junction, Ariz., Lisa Johns of Creston, Leanna Cook of Afton, Lori (Rick) McIntosh of Creston; 17 grandchildren, Anthony Gross (Crystal Sterling) of Clarinda, Joel Gross of Apache Junction, Ariz., Michael Johns of Creston, Sonya Clayton of Creston, Janelle (Josh) Hamilton of Afton, Jayrd (Jacquie) Merritt of Creston, Caleb (Becky) McGuire of Afton, Jacob (Latisha) McGuire of Afton, Brooke (John) Berg of Creston, Rheanna (Tyler) Pettit of Creston, Shelbi Synder of Creston, 27 great-grandchildren; 8 great-great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and other family members. She was preceded in death by her parents Ray and Mary Alice Marsh, her in-laws, James and Mrytle Cook, son in-law, Sterling Johns, grandson, Jason Clayton, granddaughter Vicky Gross, great granddaughter, Oaklyn Grace, and her brothers and sister’s in-law, Richard (Marilyn) Cook, Marie Judah, and Mike (Pat) Smith.
