Ann Cook Wartchow

1933 - 2021

1933 ~ 2021

Anita Marie (Cook) Wartchow passed away on December 8, 2021 at Davis Hospital in Layton, Utah.

Ann was born November 1, 1933 to George & Martha Cannon in Alamosa, Colorado.

Her brother Clyde's health necessitated the family move to Glendale Arizona in 1940.

Ann developed a love for Navajo turquoise jewelry at this time. In 1942, her family moved to Smithfield Utah to live with her Uncle & Aunt Ford as the result of losing their house to fire.

In 1943, her family moved to Pocatello Idaho. In 1949, she married Bob Cook.

Over the next 9 years, she and Bob had 4 children: Jerry 1950, Jene 1951, Steve 1954, and Joleene 1958

From 1952 1954, she lived in Clearfield Utah where Bob worked at Hill AFB

Ann managed Sunset Drive in concessions, Tough Guy restaurant, and waitressed at Green Triangle. Ann had beautiful blue black hair and participated in parades with other hair models.

Her family made regular outings to Yellowstone and Teton National Parks. Ann was feeding a bear cub when it put its paw through the car's front window and its mother showed up. Ann also enjoyed camping at Mackay, Island Park, and Coffee Pot Rapids. These were fun family outings. Ann would take her children (Bob stayed home to work) on the train to Riverside California every summer to see her parents and siblings. Disneyland was always a fun option when in Southern California as were Zion and Bryce National Parks.

Ann enjoyed team bowling with Bob. In Spokane, she embraced porcelain doll making with her daughter Joleene.

In 1973, she and Bob were divorced. A year later she married Bud Wartchow.

She then worked in a Powell Wyoming grocery store. In Trout Creek Montana, she and Bud started the Trout Creek Restaurant. Upon selling the restaurant she worked in grocery stores in Morro Bay California, Smiths in Pocatello, Cook Grocery in Gooding Idaho, and Rosauers in Coeur d'Alene Idaho and Spokane Washington. After Rosauers she and Bud worked as apartment managers.

Ann and Bud moved to Cascade Mobile Home Community for seniors where she enjoyed community activities and regular potlucks. She was well known for her deviled egg offerings to the potlucks. Her exercise consisted of walking her little dog around the park. Her last dog is a Yorkie named Lucy. Lucy is a breeder dog that needed rescued when, at considerable cost, this little ball of love was given to Ann. Her life became "defined" by how happy she could make Lucy.

Her daughter Joleene lived nearby in Spokane Valley. Joleene took care of Ann's finances and health issues. Bud died in 2014. A year later, Ann's daughter Jene moved in with Ann to help her Mother and give Joleene a little respite.

Joleene died in 2018. Within a year of Joleene's death, Jene was diagnosed with liver cancer. Several months later, Ann was diagnosed with liver cancer. Jene was diagnosed with inoperable cancer a few months after her cancer "removal". Ann's liver cancer remained manageable.

By early 2021, Ann and her daughter Jene became unable to take care of themselves or each other. While taking turns falling down and ambulance calls, they needed more help than they could manage on their own. By Mothers' Day, it became necessary to relocate Jene to her daughter Kassie's home in Tennessee and move Ann to her son Steve's house in Farmington Utah. Jene died 6 weeks later. Ann died 7 months after her move.

Lucy still lives in the home she shared with Ann. She can regularly be found standing at the front door wistfully waiting for Ann (the human who brought so much joy into her life) to return.

Ann was preceded in death by her husband Bud Wartchow and both of her daughters Joleene Ries and Jene Miers. Also preceding her in death were four of her five siblings: Bill Cannon, Kitty Battles, Clyde Cannon, and Paul Cannon.

She is survived by her remaining sibling Georgia Beard; her two sons Jerry (& Kathy) Cook of Cedarville, California and Steve (& Jeanne) Cook of Farmington, Utah; and other children Kristie (& Joe Bradley) of Boise, Idaho and Cary (& Stephanie) Wartchow of Meridian, Idaho. And Lucy.

No services will be held at this time. Ann's urn will be interned with her husband's the summer of 2022 in a vault at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery in Medical Lake. Family members and friends will be notified prior to this event once a date has been confirmed.