Etta Josephine Cook, age 73, of Baldwin City, Kansas, passed away on August 25, 2026. She was born on April 12, 1953, in Fort Scott, Kansas, and lived a life marked by creativity, warmth, and a generous spirit that touched many.
Etta was the daughter of Theodore Roosevelt Cook and Cora May Ridgway Cook. She was preceded in death by Charles Cook and Teddy Cook. She is survived by her brothers, Tommy Cook and Carl Cook, and her sisters, Thelma Ragsdale, Charlotte Thompson, and Christiana Judy. She was also blessed with very special caregivers of the last 25 years, Tamara and Derek Ishmael, and their children, Willo and Tobin, who were an important and loving part of her life.
Etta loved good food, receiving mail, listening to music, dancing, singing, children and babies, and she especially had a deep appreciation of color, art, and every form of crafting.
Etta was a Maker. She loved anything crafty, and she excelled at all of it. Before putting an empty toilet paper cardboard core in the recycling, Etta would often turn around and say, “Do you know what you can do with that?” She wanted to turn simple things into something meaningful, and she did – with cardboard, buttons, tissue paper, beads, clay, needle and thread and more. She loved creating things with her hands.
Etta made and sold earrings, she had her own art show and sale of her drawings, she had her own spot at a local shop to display her artwork, and she loved giving away her creations. Nothing made her happier than to make something and share it with others.
Nationally renowned quilter and author, Marla Jackson, credited Etta with introducing her to quilting. Marla worked with Etta as a caregiver, and she paid Etta $25 to teach her how to quilt, sparking a passion in Marla for the art form. There was an article about it in the Lawrence Journal World mentioning Etta by name.
Etta’s love of stitching became her favorite past-time, and at home she could usually be found sitting in the kitchen or the living room doing embroidery on a dish towel, turning something plain into something beautiful and unique.
Those who knew Etta will remember her for her creativity and her ability to find wonder in everyday things. Her life was a testament to the beauty of simple acts done with love, and her memory will continue to live on in the hearts of all who knew and loved her.
A combined graveside service with her niece Sherry Thompson-Brown will be held at 12:30 PM Friday, October 23rd, at the Fairview Cemetery, Fulton, Kansas. Words of remembrance may be submitted online at cheneywitt.com.