Ann Harrison Cook

Ann (Harrison) Cook danced her way into heaven on December 1, 2023 very peacefully in her sleep with no more impairments from ALS. Her body was ready to be made whole again, hopefully they were ready for her! At an early age, her Daddy gave her the nickname “Annie Oakley” which was shortened through time to just “Annie”. Ann was born on June 15, 1947 in Amarillo Texas to Tom Winter and Pauline Lorrayne (McLaughlin) Harrison. Her family moved to Odessa for several years and that is where she attended grade school until they moved back to Amarillo to finish grade school and junior high. They ultimately ended up in Shamrock, Tx. for her High School years where she graduated in 1965. This was her beautiful picture! She had many life-long friends from the Wheeler and Shamrock area that she still kept in touch with and considered adopted brothers and sisters including Kirk Clay, Danny Nunn, Holmes Brannon, Paula Ezzell, Linda Trimble, Mickey Porter, Sue Lynn Krehbiel and a childhood friend Mike Craft. She also attended Texas Tech with many of these same friends. She married Ronny Cook from Post, Tx. on March 12, 1967 at First United Methodist Church in Shamrock and moved to North Carolina where he was stationed in the Army. They moved to Wheeler where she helped her father and husband with the bookkeeping for Harrison 66 Oil Co. both in Shamrock and Wheeler. They had 2 extraordinary sons Tom and Travis that were raised in Wheeler. Being involved with these 2 sons was where she focused her life. She attended all of their activities whether it was classroom mom or den mother or watching the boys play baseball, football, track or golf. Helping with all of these events is where she could be found. She loved and claimed a bonus son Ike Finsterwald of Wheeler. She also married Mel Ray Coate and claimed two additional sons, Rodney and Brian, and one daughter, Mechelle. Ann received the Beta Sigma Phi – President and Woman of the Year award; helped coach pee wee and little league baseball; was the secretary/treasurer of the Wheeler Little League Association and Wheeler Mustang Booster Club; and kept books and donated time to all Mustang Sports. Ann was a hard worker and worked at many different places throughout her life including holding several different positions within the Wheeler ISD school system. She enjoyed her time at Wheeler ISD and these were some of her fondest memories and loved to be a fill-In Mom for more students than we could ever imagine. She also worked at the Wheeler Hospital, Maxey’s Steakhouse, Mel’s Diner and Shamrock Country Club. She moved to Amarillo in 2001 to be closer to her sons and grandchildren where she enjoyed attending grandsons sporting events and continued working at Harris Insurance Agency, Coulter Imaging, Century 21, High Plains ENT, Golden Light Café and the Office of the Attorney General. Some of her “favorites” George Strait, Willie Nelson, New York Yankees, Texas Rangers and the Texas Longhorns. She loved country and western dancing and listening to music “all the time”. Famous for having the patience to bake her Grandmother’s Chocolate Pie recipe at holidays and birthdays! She loved all of her family and friends. Most importantly, she “believed” in God, Jesus, her Daddy, Santa and her Sons and now has the best seat in the house! Ann was preceded in death by her parents, Tom and Pauline Harrison and her youngest son Travis Cook. She is survived by her son, Tom Cook and wife RaNita of Amarillo, her late son’s wife Marcie Cook of Canyon; five grandsons Ethan, Britton and Parker Cook of Amarillo and Cody and Ty Cook of Canyon; two sisters Kay Buchanan of Lubbock and Gay Lynn Huddleston of Amarillo; and numerous nieces, nephews and cousins and other extended family members. A special thanks to Mom’s caregivers who made it possible for her to stay at home through this journey! They include friends Stacy Lopez, Cara Shannon, Ocie Smith, Charlene Bills and Dena Hair and family Gay Lynn Huddleston, Kay Buchanan, Rita Cobb, David and Summer Balcer and Choice Palliative Care, Kindred and Enhabit Home Health Care and Shafer Mortuary Services. Although we say goodbye to Ann Cook, we want to celebrate a lifetime of memories and a life of kindness and laughter. She will be dearly missed by all of those in her circle. We will have a Celebration of Life for Mom sometime in 2024 so please don’t let her memory fade! Memorial Contributions can be made to: Meals on Wheels of Amarillo 7550 Outlook Dr. Amarillo, TX 79106 Or The ALS Foundation Team Gleason Foundation PO Box 24493 New Orleans, LA 70184

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Ann Harrison Cook

June 15, 1947 - December 1, 2023