Obituary
Sayre Gilbert Cooke
Born December 17, 1935
Died July 7, 2022
With immense sadness we share the news that after facing challenging health issues over the last six months, Sayre passed away peacefully surrounded by a loving family and friends. Happily, she will join Geoffrey (d.2016), her loving husband of 58 years.
Sayre will be deeply missed by her four wonderful children, Andrew, John, Sallie, and Adam and ten growing and precious grandchildren – Aidan, Amelia, Jeffrey, Alexandra, Isabelle, Elyssa, Oliver, Aidan, Grayson, and Abbott. Son and daughters-in-laws – Christopher, Julie, Alisha, and Mary-anne.
Lovingly remembered by the Cooks – Ted, Betty, Liz and Charles and their families; Carrie Hutton; her sisters, Sue, and Sally (d.2015) and brother-in-laws – Bob and David and many nephews and nieces.
Sayre was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts, USA. In her early childhood days, she lived on The Cape. Her father’s job took the
family to several destinations in her youth including Antigua, Braintree Massachusetts, Portsmouth New Hampshire where she graduated from high school, and ultimately Doncaster, England where she met and fell in love with her next-door neighbour, Geoffrey.
This relationship prompted a new life together in Canada, with Geoffrey emigrating in 1958, with Sayre following shortly afterwards. They spent 14 years in Montreal, where all the children were born and moved to the beautiful town of Oakville in 1972.
273 Cairncroft Road was Sayre’s home for almost 50 years, until the final few months when she was forced to move out in her battle with cancer. Her home was always a hub of activity – with many children coming and going, Sunday dinners, Christmas open houses, summer tent parties cumulating in the Covid era, where she hosted neighbours and friends on the top of her driveway. Her house was always beautifully decorated for holidays; proudly adorned in red, white, and blue for the 4th of July each year. Anyone and everyone was always welcome at 273 Cairncroft.
An integral part of the community in the growing town of Oakville, Sayre was always active. She was a lifelong member of the May Court Club of Oakville, earning the President’s Award in 1989 and was well known for her flower arranging as well as being the ‘Christmas Tree Lady’, decorating the trees for the annual fundraising raffle for 20 plus years. There she formed many strong bonds, including her Craft group, with which she discovered a love for Mah-jong.
She spent many happy years with family and friends and Geoffrey on his beloved yacht Windsage, cruising Lake Ontario. She was unique in her ‘two forehands’ style of playing tennis and was active into her eighties at the Ontario Racquet Club (ORC) and the Mississauga Golf and Country Club.
Sayre also spent many years travelling around the world visiting and watching the ten grandchildren she was so proud of grow. She travelled to visit them in Calgary, Washington DC, and London England, with Geoff on many occasions and continued the travels on her own until the onset of Covid.
A warm, loyal, and caring individual, Sayre was always direct. Her family and friends and ‘life experiences’ moulded her strong and independent character. She loved her family and friends and treasured her time with them right up until the end. The phone never stopped ringing, there were countless visitors and continuous communication via email and facetime. She kept many amused with her direct nature, her easy chat and warm smile.
The family invites friends to celebrate Sayre’s life at 10am Monday July 18th at Maple Grove United Church, 346 Maple Grove Drive, Oakville, Ontario, L6J 4V5.
Words cannot express the gratitude for the support of friends and the healthcare she received. A special thank you to all the caring individuals, nurses, and volunteers throughout the last few months, especially Dr Grace Lun and the team at Ian Anderson House.
In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made to Ian Anderson House.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Sayre Gilbert Cooke December 17 1935 July 7 2022..
Kopriva Taylor Community Funeral Home
Death notice for the town of: Oakville, Province: Ontario