WINTER 2023-2024 28 On Saturday, January 27, DBU lost a dear member of the DBU Family, Mrs. Sheila Cook, wife of former President Dr. Gary Cook. From 1988-2016, Mrs. Cook served as the First Lady of DBU and made DBU a home away from home for thousands upon thousands of students, opening her home to countless individuals, providing prayers, care packages, holiday meals, and so much more. For the faculty and staff of the University, she was a welcoming smile, listening ear, caring heart, and ready prayer partner for any need that might arise. “The DBU Family is grief stricken,” said Dr. Adam C. Wright, current DBU President. “For many of us, Sheila Cook was so much more than just a friend. She was family. Mrs. Cook became like a second mother to Candice and me throughout our time at DBU. She was a prayer warrior and constant support, and I know that my story is similar for thousands of others who have been touched by her grace, wisdom, generosity, and kindness. So many of us would not be what we are today without having had Mrs. Sheila Cook in our lives. She truly epitomized Christ-centered servant leadership.” A native of Louisville, Kentucky, Sheila Cook was born on March 6, 1948, to Oscar and Edna Raymer, who raised her brother, Elwyn, and her in a loving, Christian home. Throughout her life, she remained an active member of her church and found inside this Christian community an outlet for her unique gifts of encouragement, teaching, and hospitality. Sheila left Louisville to pursue her undergraduate education at Georgetown College and returned to her hometown to earn a Master of Education degree at the University of Louisville and begin her career as a school teacher. It was during this time that she met a young man named Gary Cook, who attended her Sunday School class, was a student at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary there in Louisville, and had just been named the Minister for Senior Adults at her church. The two were soon married, and after completing his work at Southern, the couple left for Texas, where REMEMBERING Sheila Cook
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