Mary Cook, 87, died Jan. 16, 2008, in Post Falls, Idaho.

Mary Tripp was born April 11, 1920, to Harold and Phebe Tripp of Arimo, Idaho. One week before her birth, her mother, Phebe, had shingled the roof of the family home. Mary was truly from real “pioneer stock”.

She grew up on the family farm in McCammon, Idaho. When her oldest brother and husband were called to fight in World War II, she and her younger siblings took care of the parents and the farm.

She enjoyed school, and really liked basketball. At 5’4”, she was the shortest guard on the high school basketball team, but led her team to many victories. She graduated from Inkom High School in 1938.

On March 3, 1943 she married Cleveland Cook in the LDS Logan Temple. They lived and raised their family in parts of Idaho and Utah, before making their home in Pocatello, Idaho. In 1996, they moved to Post Falls, Idaho.

Mrs. Cook was a member of the LDS Church and held many church positions. She was active in the church sports programs. She earned many service awards for her work with the Young Women’s program. She enjoyed gardening, camping and fishing, crafts and sewing, cooking and baking. She enjoyed many trips to see her children and grandchildren. She taught volleyball in a continuing education program. She loved spending time with her family.

She will be remembered for the motto she taught her children to live by: Always leave a place better than you found it. Her family notes that she did, indeed, make the world a better place than when she found it.

She is survived by her husband, Cleveland of Hayden, Idaho; son and daughter-in-law, Richard and Vickie Cook of Silverthorne, Colo.; two daughters and sons-in-law, Connie and George Brinkmann of Rathdrum, Idaho, and Janette and Erick Matzke of Blair; 17 grandchildren; 24 great-grandchildren; and a sister, Gaelene, of Pocatello.

She was preceded in death by a son, Mike Cook; grandson, Carl Matzke; great-grandson, James Cook; two brothers, Von and Fred Tripp; and two sister, Maleta Pepper and Phyllis Cornelison.