Polly Cook

Polly Cook of Vernon, Connecticut died of natural causes on December 8, 2022 at the age of 88. She was surrounded by her loving family.

Polly spent her childhood living at historic Fort Monroe, Virginia where her father - a West Point graduate and brigadier general - commanded the Coast Artillery School there. She attended the Holton Arms School in Bethesda, Maryland where she was an avid softball and field hockey player and was voted "most athletic" by her high school class. Polly then obtained a degree in early childhood education from Lasell Junior College (now Lasell University). After college, she married Walter Cook and they moved to Germany, where he was serving in the U.S. Army. During this time Polly and Walter traveled throughout Europe and she fulfilled her dream of teaching preschool. Polly often reflected on this time as one of the happiest chapters in her life.

After returning to the United States, Polly started her family in South Windsor. They soon moved to Vernon, where Polly lived for more than 50 years. Polly made raising her family her life's work and priority. She enjoyed playing the piano, was an avid reader of The New York Times (Tuesday's Science section was her favorite) and became the family Harry Potter aficionado, always the first to buy the next book or see the new movie. Polly loved old movies and classical music, the songs of Andy Williams and James Taylor, "Beat Bobby Flay", and her pet collies and parakeets. She had a special affinity for backyard birds, and you could often find her gazing out her kitchen window with a pair of binoculars keenly focused on her many bird feeders. Polly volunteered for many years on Hartford Hospital's orthopedic wing, clocking over 1,000 hours of volunteer time. Prior to that, she had volunteered for the elderly at Vernon Manor and had served on the board of the Genesis Center in Manchester, where she was a strong advocate for mental health on behalf of her daughter Karen and others.

Polly was predeceased by her siblings Henry and Peggy, her former husband Walter, and her beloved daughter Karen. She is survived by her children Linda, Lawrence (and Evette), Ken (and Ginny), Melanie (and Matt), and by her grandchildren Andrew, Lauren, Ryan, Sean, Mabel and Jake. Polly leaves behind her loving brother-and sister-in-law Ron & Ruth and her nieces and nephew Melissa, Pam and Craig.

Polly had many longtime friends and neighbors in Vernon, and the family wishes to thank everyone who helped her throughout her 50+ years in the neighborhood. Polly will always be remembered for her kind and gentle spirit, her immense generosity, and most of all for being an incredibly loving and devoted mother, grandmother, and friend. Her legacy in life was to "Always look for the best in others and give them the best you have." Her wish was for a private family service.