Mary Elizabeth "Libby" Cook
February 5, 1926 - June 5, 2021
Lexington, Kentucky 

The family of Mary Elizabeth "Libby" Cook is greatly saddened to announce her passing on June 5th at Saint Joseph Hospital following a brief illness. She was 95 and lived in the greater Lexington area her entire life.
Libby was born at a family home on Briar Hill Road on February 5th, 1926, the daughter of Elizabeth Helen (nee Kelley) and Ernest Talbert Cook. She grew up on different tobacco farms around Lexington, where her father worked as both a farmer and foreman and her mother looked after the family. Libby graduated from Lafayette High School and briefly attended the University of Kentucky before dropping out to care for her ailing mother. She later became an accountant and worked for many years in Lexington where she built a strong and loyal client base.
Although Libby loved traveling and spending time with loved ones in Colorado and Virginia, she always felt most happy in her beloved Blue Grass State. She will be remembered for her warm and mischievous smile, peerless bourbon balls, never missing a birthday no matter how far away her loved one was (and never forgetting to dutifully tuck a $5 bill in the card for the young ones), and her unmatched Thanksgiving and Christmas Day celebrations. More importantly, she will always be known for her limitless love and fondness for her family and friends.
Libby was preceded in death by her parents, as well as her brother and only sibling Kelly Francis Cook, who served as a combat pilot in WWII, Korea and Vietnam, and who was reported Missing-in-Action in 1967. Although his remains were never recovered Libby kept his memory alive throughout her life.
Left to cherish her memory are her nieces, nephews, cousins and their children - too many to list but who all hold her dear to their hearts.
Visitation today, June 8th, 4-6pm at Milward-Southland. Funeral mass will take place on Wednesday, June 9th, 10am at Pax Christi Church, followed by interment next to her parents and her brother's memorial marker in Calvary Cemetery. Father Larry Hehman will officiate, at Libby's request.
The greater Cook family would like to extend special thanks to Lona and Frank Kelley, Carol and Huie Yang, Kate and Jim Cundy, and Janet Evans, all of whom provided ongoing care and support for Libby, particularly during the pandemic when conditions made it difficult for other members of her extended family to see her when it mattered the most. Your care and consideration for her will always be greatly appreciated and long remembered.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations in Libby's memory to the Pax Christi Church Building Fund, ITN Bluegrass Transportation, or the Kentucky Talking Book Library.
www.milwardfuneral.com