Loval Vigola

LOVAL VIGOLA Loval Vigola (92) passed peacefully in Topeka last Sunday (June 23, 2024) due to complications from dementia. Loval Lena Cook, later Loval Bair then Loval Vigola, was born on July 24, 1931, in Kingman, KS to Aubrey and Bessie Fornwalt Cook. Although her parents named her Loval, she hated it and instead went by "Cookie" her entire life. Cookie married Raymond Bair and the couple had five children. They were later divorced and Cookie married the love of her life, William "Bill" Vigola on March 29, 1968. Cookie earned a GED and held a variety of jobs in her younger years. Cookie was proud of running her own business, a legitimate massage parlor. She loved to tell how the police would come around expecting to uncover illicit activities, but she didn't allow that kind of hanky panky in her business. Even in later years, despite her arthritis, she would give massages to family and friends to ease their pain or suffering. Cookie also served as the Head Cottage Parent of the "Crisis Unit" at the Youth Center at Atchison, where she supervised troubled children for 15 years. Upon retirement from the State of Kansas, she cooked at both an elementary school and a hospital, greeted customers at a department store, and cooked and bussed tables at a bed and breakfast. Even after her retirement, Cookie stayed busy volunteering. She enjoyed hobbies such as embroidery and cross stitching, crocheting, and gardening. Cookie was well known for her embroidered baby quilts. Cookie especially enjoyed crossword puzzles, as she daily solved difficult puzzles up to within a few weeks of her passing. Cookie enjoyed the outdoors and was the first female hunter-safety instructor in the state of Kansas. She also taught self-defense classes for women and was notorious for spontaneously demonstrating a defensive tactics move, even in her 90s after her stroke. She was not one to show off, but she loved sharing this knowledge with others. Among her many passions was her love of cooking; an advanced skill she enjoyed sharing with her family. She was best known for her "Wom Pom Pudding", a concoction of meat, cheese, and vegetables. She was also one of the first people to make Jalapeno Jelly decades before it became a popular treat. Cookie's culinary skills also included tasty stuffed mushrooms. Cookie was proud of her large home garden which supplied tasty vegetables for her extensive canning activities. Cookie could be quite "saucy". She made joke aprons that she gifted to friends which had anatomically correct cloth naughty bits beneath the lap panel. She loved to shock her friends by flipping up the apron to reveal the hidden features. When Cookie worked as a cottage parent, she often had to wrestle and handcuff a juvenile delinquent who was out of control. One time, she arrived home bruised but laughing because the teenage boy she had subdued cussed her, using several profane and derogatory names from the standard teenager playbook. In response to the verbal tirade, Cookie told him, "Be original. I've been called all of those before. Please call me something different." To balance against her spitfire qualities, Cookie was also a very kind and caring soul. She was quick to offer help to those in need. Later in life, Cookie herself needed more assistance after her stroke, so she moved from her retirement apartment to an assisted living facility. Despite reduced physical capabilities, she was still quick with her walker and often managed to get herself to her intended destination before the staff could respond to help her. Cookie was preceded in death by her parents, husband Bill, son Rick Vigola, brothers Don, Ken, and Monte Cook, sister Amelia Kibel, and grandson, Darren Bogart. Cookie is survived by her children Vicki Bair-Ode and Mark, Lynn Morgan and Rich, Randy Vigola, and Teila Gilchrist and Scott, and nine grandchildren, many great-grandchildren, and great-greatgrandchildren. The family would like to thank the expert care and kindness of the professionals at Autumn Home and the caring support of Interim Hospice. At Cookie's request, no service is planned. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date. If St. Peter gave her any guff at the pearly gates, the family is confident that she probably gave him a first-hand and close-up demonstration of an expertly executed hip throw. To share a memory of Cookie or leave a special message for her family, please visit www.penwellgabeltopeka.c