Carolyn T. Cook

Carolyn Cook, 93, an admired wife, mother, grandmother and deeply respected horse trainer and barrel racer, was enshrined in Heaven Sunday, June 14, 2026. Awaiting her were so many she loved and longed to see again, including the love of her life for the last 65 years, Don Cook. We loved her deeply and miss her profoundly, but it was time for her to join them in everlasting paradise.

Carolyn’s family was the core of her existence, and the events within her family shaped the course of her life. As a child she was spunky, full of life and carried a spirit as free and fast as the wind. She told stories of bareback horse races with her brothers where they raced the train, and of driving the bus driver and school nuns mad with her energy and pure love of life.

At just 13 years old, her mother died of a burst aneurysm, leaving Carolyn to raise her 5‑year‑old brother, alongside her father, Walter Nibler, whom she loved and adored. Though this was a defining moment in her life, she persevered and blossomed into independence, teaching herself to cook, care for others and prepare for motherhood. She was fearless.

Carolyn was introduced to Don while she was babysitting for a member of his family. It took a little convincing, but true love found its way, and they were married Oct. 21, 1957. Together they raised five beautiful children in Colton. Dan and Doug were adopted by Don and became the backbone of their family’s farming success. Renee was born not long after their marriage, giving Carolyn the beautiful little girl she had always wanted. Two years later, Mark was born and was thought to be the final piece of their full family. Carolyn’s true loving and servant heart shone when she adopted Lilas, her sister Marian’s daughter, after Marian’s tragic death due to a car accident. She had a unique love for each of her children and truly cherished being their mother. In the end, all she wanted was for each of them to know how deeply they were loved.

For seventeen years, the family farmed the Lee Farm in Colton. It was a true family endeavor, with Carolyn holding all the pieces together. Everyone had chores, but she often scrapped them and told the kids, “Just go have fun and be kids.” Each year she maintained a massive garden that fed her family, nieces and nephews, and hired help for the entire year. Each summer, the farm became the cousin gathering place, and everyone was welcome in her home and at her table. She told stories of cooking from dusk till dawn, and not just supper, but a daily banquet with homemade bread, pies (especially lemon), cookies, caramel corn, Karo crazy crunch, cinnamon rolls, fried chicken and likely any other delicacy you can imagine that feels like home.

Carolyn liked to be the “fun one” and wasn’t afraid to break a few rules to do so. She would take the jeep packed full of her children and cousins to the beach at the bottom of Steptoe Canyon, driving full speed through all ten-plus creek crossings to make sure everyone got splashed. One of her favorite things was teaching all the kids to drive. On the farm, everyone drove the yellow Ford in the harvested pea field. In later years, the grandchildren drove the black Chevy or the red-and-white Ford from the house to the barn repeatedly. Only a few fences were damaged in the process, and she always took the blame.

After great success farming in Colton, Don and Carolyn purchased land in Tammany and built Carolyn’s dream home in 1979. She cut out pictures from Home and Garden magazine, and Don captured almost every detail in the build, though he joked that if he had known she would spend all her time at the barn, he would have just built a barn. Over the next 30 years, she raised, broke, and trained more than 30 top‑notch barrel horses and hundreds more that excelled in showing, ranching, hunting and other disciplines. Her favorites were Gypsy, Venus, Tara, Keno, Clint and lastly Pharoah — all a little ornery, just like her. Keno spent his fair share of time in the bucking chutes just so she could get on him safely. Spending time at her cabin in Waha and riding in the mountains all day was her escape and the place she found the most peace, especially in times of sorrow.

With her own children grown, continuing to contribute to the children of the community became one of her greatest passions. She was the longest‑living member and a lifelong contributor to the 49ers Saddle Club. She developed and instructed the highly successful Hoofbeats 4-H Club with 38 members, whom she loved to watch excel both in the arena and in life long after their 4-H days were over. From the words of her dear friend and veterinarian Dave Rustebakke, DVM “she had a positive influence on more young people than anyone else in the LC Valley and did more to introduce young people to horsemanship than anyone I know…”

Her nine grandchildren and seven great‑grandchildren were loved beyond measure. She was endlessly proud of each of their unique accomplishments and was always there to help them with anything they needed, no questions asked. In her final years, she lived vicariously through them and their adventures. They kept her going, giving her something to look forward to as she watched them grow and succeed.

She was raised as a Catholic and very strong in her faith. She was very proud of her knowledge of the Baltimore Catechism. It was profoundly important to her that her marriage was blessed by the church, and all her children were raised in the Catholic faith. Her faith helped her endure her hardest days and helped her appreciate her fondest memories.

The last two years of her life were the most challenging, as she wasn’t quite sure how to live without Don by her side. In the end, she may not have left under the circumstances she would have chosen, but she is finally at peace, reunited with the love of her life and wrapped in the loving arms of those who went before her.

Carolyn is survived by her children Renee Cook-Riggers, Mark Cook and Lilas (Tim) Davis; grandchildren Ashley Cook, Rachelle and Klayton Riggers, Dawson, Dakota and Denali Cook, Blake and Connor Davis and Danielle Zaichenko, as well as seven great-grandchildren.

Carolyn was preceded in death by her husband, mother and father, two sisters and four brothers, her sons Dan and Doug and her two beloved grandsons, Danny and Adam.

We will be honoring the life of Carolyn Cook on Thursday, June 25. A rosary will be recited at 10:20 a.m., with the service taking place at 11 a.m., at All Saints Catholic Church, 3330 14th St., Lewiston. Everyone who loved her is welcome to attend. A lunch and memory‑sharing gathering will follow the service in the social hall. Burial will take place at 3 p.m., at the Catholic Cemetery in Uniontown.