Annette Cooke

Annette Cooke passed away on May 15, 2020 of natural causes at age 90 after a full life filled with love for her Lord and her family. Annette Marie Minnema was born in 1929 in Grand Rapids, Michigan to Dutch parents John & Pearl Minnema. She attended Grand Rapids Christian High School and then Calvin College before graduating from the Blodgett nursing program. At Calvin she met and in 1951 married Edward Cooke of Detroit who graduated from Calvin Theological Seminary and entered the pastorate with Annette at his side as they served diverse ministries within the Christian Reformed denomination, including churches in Tracy, IA; Holland, MI; Rehoboth, NM; West Sayville, NY; DeMotte, IN; Bellflower, CA; and Kalamazoo, MI. Annette loved music (giving piano lessons to many students over the years) and frequently played the organ for church, sang soprano in choir, and led women’s groups alongside the ministry of her husband, while also raising a family and continuing to work part-time as a nurse in each of the states where they lived. Moving around so much during a lifetime of pastoral service, she remarked it was important to remember to “Bloom where you are transplanted!” Annette was widowed in 1990 by Ed’s death from cancer, and eventually retired from nursing and returned to her hometown of Grand Rapids where she maintained activity within her home church of Brookside CRC and enjoyed knitting for babies and sewing doll clothes for her grandkids, as well as traveling the world and staying in touch with extended family across the country. For two decades of her widowhood the extended Cooke family was especially appreciative of Annette’s annual tradition of hosting everyone at lakeshore lodges in West Michigan during the Christmas season, which always assured an energetic and noisy time with the ever-expanding collection of Cooke grandchildren and great-grandchildren. After two decades of widowhood, Annette was surprised by joy with the eventual marriage at age 81 to widowed pastor Ralph Bronkema, which helped bring a new lease on each of their lives in their sunset years until Ralph passed away in 2018. Annette’s brother Harold Minnema preceded her in death, and she is survived by Carol (Charlie) Scheuermann as well as in-law siblings Barbara Minnema, Miriam Schaafsma and David (Kay) Cooke. Annette leaves behind 6 children and their spouses Bruce & Lisa, Holland, MI; Steve & Merly, Philippines; Kathy & David Dykstra, Hudsonville, MI; Dan & Theona, Grand Rapids, MI; Jim & Beth, Grand Haven, MI; and Gwen & Tom DeHorn, Granger, IN; 17 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren, as well as a rich legacy of love for God and her family. Due to quarantine restrictions a memorial service will be for immediate family only. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts to the ministry of World Renew (https://worldrenew.net/) are encouraged.