Jean A. Cook died May 12 , 2013, at her home in Cherokee. She was 92.

Her services will be at 10:30 a.m. on Friday, May 17th, at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cherokee, with Rev. Magrey deVega presiding. Burial will be in the Oak Hill Cemetery in Cherokee. There will be a family prayer service at 10:15 a.m. at the Church on Friday. Visitation will be on Thursday from 10 a.m. until 8 p.m. at the Boothby Funeral Home in Cherokee with the family present from 6 p.m. until 8 p.m. On line condolences may be left at www.boothby funeral.com

Jean Elliott Ekstam Ary was born September 13, 1920, at her mother's family home in Marathon, Iowa, the daughter of Lester C. Ary and Eva C. (Ekstam) Ary. She graduated from Cherokee Wilson High School in 1938 and was Cherokee's first Homecoming queen. Jean then attended Iowa State University where she was an editor of the "Iowa Homemaker," the magazine of the College of Home Economics. She graduated with a Bachellor's Degree from Iowa State, then received her masters degree from Purdue University. Her employment began with Swift & Company in Chicago where she was involved with food research in Swift's "Martha Logan Kitchens."

Jean met John H. (Jack) Cook while employed with Swift, and they were married at St. Paul's United Methodist Church in Cherokee on October 19, 1946. They moved back to Cherokee in 1952 when Jack joined Lester Ary's law firm. She and Jack had three sons, John, Richard and William, who all returned to Cherokee to join the family law firm and to join Jean for lunch on a daily basis.

Jean was active in a variety of community projects and organizations. She was a 72 year member of Chapter EE of PEO. She was a member of the Cherokee Library Board, the Cherokee Community Betterment Committee, the Bicentennial and "Cherokee County Liberty Tree" Committee, Cherokee Arts Council, the Cherokee Historic Preservation Committee, the Adult Education Board, and served as a Cub Scout Den Mother. She worked to transition a private collection of historical materials into what is now the Cherokee Area Archives, serving as a board member of the Cherokee Area Archives since formation. She was active in the development of the Pilot Rock Lookout, Treptow Park (now Sanford Park Lane), the planting of memorial trees throughout the county, the Depot Renovation, the preservation of Cherokee's historic buildings, and in the humane treatment of dogs.

She received the Cox Conservation Program Award in 1977, a national award from the Arbor Day Foundation in 1978, the 1979-1980 Governor's Leadership Award and was the Lady of the Year recognized by Beta Sigma Phi in 1982.

Jean was an active member of St. Paul's United Methodist Church as a Sunday School teacher, a member of United Methodist Women and served on boards and committees, for many years as church historian.

She had a special love for the woods of the Grand Marais area of Minnesota, a place where she first spent her summers in the family log cabin on Lake McFarland in 1936, and to which she returned each summer for as long as she could.

She is survived by her sons, John and his wife Jan, Richard and his wife Andrea, and William and his wife Sarah; six grandchildren, Erin Webster and her husband Nick, Jason Cook, Katherine Cook, David Cook, Jessica Cook and Emily Cook, and great grandchildren Shay Webster and Colin Webster; her sister, Jo Hoy and her husband Tex, nephews David Blair, Tom Hoy, Scott Hoy and James Hoy and their families. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, Jack, in 1996, her sister June Blair in 2000, and Dee Gee Blair in 2012.

Memorials would be well directed to any of her special interests: St. Paul's United Methodist Church, The Cherokee Public Library Foundation, Depot Renovation, the Cherokee Area Archives or the support of the humane treatment of dogs.