Georgia Elaine Cook, 90, of Madison, died on January 20, 2023. Born in St. Charles, IL, she was the eldest of two daughters of Walter Wellman Cook and Lillian Swanson Cook. Raised in St. Paul, MN, she earned a Bachelors Degree in English from the University of Minnesota.
Ms. Cook raised three daughters, mostly as a single mom. Left in difficult financial circumstances by the divorce laws of the 1960s, she persevered and attained a Master's Degree in Education from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She embarked on a career as a Reading Consultant at West High School in Madison, where she taught for 25 years.
Georgia, known as Cookie to her four grandchildren, was a published poet. She loved the Boundary Waters Canoe area. She was kind; especially to those with learning disabilities, who were often misunderstood and under-appreciated. She had a keen eye for fashion, art and décor, and furnished her life with treasures found at second-hand and antique stores.
She is survived by her daughters, Kirsten Friedman and Britt Tinglum, and four grandchildren: Sverre, Per, Georgia and Gunnar. Her sister Janet Johnson, of Albuquerque, NM, also survives her. Her youngest daughter, Trina Tinglum, died before her, in 2021.
A Celebration of Life will be held later in the year.