May Dorothy Cook

May Cook at Ashwell URC
Jackie Embury
21 Birthday Party of the Over-60's Club
May outside her home

May was born on the 1 May 1936, the first child of Dorothy and Laurence Brown, living in Kingsland Terrace, Ashwell.

May attended Ashwell Primary School and Baldock Secondary Modern, leaving at fifteen years of age.  Her first two jobs were with Kayser Bondor in Baldock and The Piggery Research at Stotfold, both involving clerical work. Later May moved to Thomas Brooker Ltd. in 1961, starting at their Letchworth branch and moving to Hitchin when the Letchworth branch closed. 

At Hitchin she rose to the position of chief cashier, responsible for all the stores’ tills and cashing up every night. May retired in 2001 having served the company for forty years. During that time she ran the sports and social club, organising outings and dances. May and her sister, Betty, ran Brooker’s bowls club and Hitchin Inter-Works Bowls League.

May married Geoff Cook in 1973, moving to Ashbrook in Lucas Lane, Ashwell in 1975. May and Geoff loved their garden and joined the Ashwell Horticultural Society becoming chairman and secretary, respectively, for many years, organising outings and speakers.

May also ran the Over 60s group, organising outings and shows at the Gordon Craig Theatre in Stevenage. She was a member of the Moss Cottages committee and a keen churchgoer, especially on Sunday mornings at Stotfold Methodist, Guilden Morden or Ashwell United Reformed Churches. Other activities included Guilden Morden and Ashwell Womens Institutes and Steeple Morden Bowls Club.

Although May had a very busy life and enjoyed all her social activities, her main love was her family. She and Geoff had many happy holidays with Betty, Mich and the children at sea-sides around England and Wales plus trips to Belgium and France. May was much involved with all branches of the family at birthdays, anniversaries and, particularly, Christmas and New Year, organising numerous parties at Ashbrook.

May died on 8 December 2016 having made an important contribution to village life and will be very much missed by all her family and her many friends.

May’s funeral took place at St Mary’s Ashwell on 12 January and is buried in Ashwell Cemetery.

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