Ida Katherine ”Kate” Dunkin Cooke of Batesville, born April 8, 1929, to the late Damon Duffield Dunkin and Mertie Arnold Dunkin Harris, died peacefully on Sunday, January 29, 2023.
Her husband of 63 years, Samuel ”Sam” Coombs Cooke, and her sister, Della Mae Dortch, preceded her in death. She leaves her four children and their spouses, Becky and Anthony Falkowski (Dover, DE), Sam and Rita Cooke (Batesville), John and Cindy Cooke (Batesville), and Mary and Chris Boushelle (Fayetteville); 11 grandchildren and their spouses, Emily and Mike McGetrick (Vienna, VA), Jeff and Bethany Halpern (Crownsville, MD) and Ryan and Steph Halpern (Dover, DE), Allison Cooke (Little Rock), and Samuel and Lindsey Cooke (Fayetteville), Alex and Sara Cooke (Vilonia) and David and Melanie Cooke (Dover), and Jay and Tana Boushelle (Bixby, OK), John Boushelle (Broomfield, CO), Katherine Boushelle (Fayetteville) and Rebecca Boushelle (Hinesville, GA); three bonus grandchildren and spouses, Preston and Hannah Caldwell (Batesville), Alexandra and Ben Benton and Alyssa Chunn (all of Little Rock); 14 great-grandchildren, Kyle, Collin and Kensington Halpern, Ellie and Addie Halpern, Dunkin, Charlotte and Lucy Wilkes, Griffin and Weston Cooke, Tucker and Tanner Cooke, and Rae and Isaac Cooke.
She was a graduate of Little Rock Central High School, attended Ward-Belmont College and graduated from the University of Tulsa where she was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority. She married her college sweetheart, and they moved to Montana, Wyoming, California, Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana, while Sam worked as a geologist. After seven years he became manager of Silica Products Company in Guion, owned by her mother, the late Mertie A. Harris. Kate was the secretary of the corporation.
Her family was the joy of her life, and her family loved her deeply. She hosted many family gatherings over the years at Hilton Head, SC, Branson, MO, Mountain View and their cabin at Highrock Farms on Sullivan Creek. Her second love was collecting antiques for her home, friends and her shop, Collector’s Corner. A special day for her was when she was selected for an appearance on Antiques Roadshow filmed in Little Rock.
For a number of years, she taught science at Batesville Junior High School. Kate was active with the Old Independence Regional Museum and was involved with the planning, site selection, museum furnishings and the gift shop. She was a founding member of a local investment club for women, a PEO Chapter Z member, and a White River Medical Center volunteer. She was a woman of faith and involved with her church, First Presbyterian, serving on various committees and was active with Lyon College. She especially enjoyed her bridge groups and visiting and traveling with close friends.
The family would like to express its appreciation to her many caregivers, especially to Faye Wallace Lane, as well as the nurses and therapists at Woodcrest Assisted Living.
A graveside service will be held at Oaklawn Cemetery, Batesville, at 2 p.m. Saturday, February 4. Arrangements are by Roller-Crouch Funeral Home. Honorary pallbearers include her nephews, Damon Dortch, George Dortch III and Eric Cooke, and Tasker Rodman and J.R. Baker.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to Old Independence Regional Museum, 380 E. Ninth Street, Batesville, AR 72501, to Maxfield Park (City of Batesville) or to First Presbyterian Church, 775 E. Boswell, Batesville, AR 72501.
