Lurene Ward Cooke McNeilly
LAWNDALE — Mrs. Lurene Ward Cooke McNeilly, 93, of Martin
Street, died Sunday, Aug. 10, 2003, at Crawley Memorial Hospital in Boiling
Springs.
She was born Feb. 26, 1910, in Cleveland County. The daughter of the late
William and Mamie Blanton Ward, she was also preceded in death by her husbands,
John Ivey Cooke and Chellie McNeilly; four brothers, Robert Ward, James Ashley
Jr., Gerald Ashley and Ivey Lee Ashley; two sisters, Madelyn Ward and Ruby
Bridges; three grandchildren, Gary Ivey Cooke, Lisa Jean Cooke, Terry Cooke
Perry McMurry; and a stepfather, Jim Ashley.
She was a member of Lawndale Baptist Church, where she had served as a Sunday
school teacher and choir member. She retired from Cleveland Mills.
She is survived by four sons and their wives, Harold and Betty Cooke of
Albuquerque, N.M., Charlie and Barbara Cooke of Ellenboro, Walter and Betty
Cooke and Steve and Jane Cooke, all of Lawndale; a brother and his wife, Bill
and Betty Ashley of Fallston; two sisters and a brother-in-law, Helen Brackett
of Lawndale and Joyce and Maynard Tesseneer of Shelby; two sisters-in-law, Edith
Ashley of Lawndale and Marjorie Ashley of Shelby; and a special aunt, Hazel
Costner of Shelby. She was blessed with nine grandchildren, 15
great-grandchildren and eight great-great grandchildren.
The funeral will be at Lawndale Baptist Church Tuesday at 3 p.m., with the Rev.
Reginald Dawkins officiating.
The family will receive friends at the church from 1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday. At
other times, the family will be at the home of Steve and Jane Cooke, 2725 Toney
Road, Lawndale.
Instead of flowers, memorials may be made to the Ivey Cooke White Christmas
Fund, Lawndale Baptist Church, P.O. Box 126, Lawndale, NC 28090 or to Hospice of
Cleveland County, 951 Wendover Heights Drive, Shelby, NC 28150.
