Obituary of Ethel Lillian Cook

Ethel Lillian Cook was born in Schenectady, NY. Her parents were William and Ethel Hebenstreet. Her two older brothers William and Edward Hebenstreet are deceased. While attending nursing school at Albany Medical College she met Donald Gouger who was attending medical School at Albany Medical College. They married and had hour children, Doug, Mark, Debbie and Brian Gouger. The family moved to Niskayuna in 1963. Ethel later remarried to the late Raymond Cook and had a fifth child, the late Robert Cook.

Ethel always managed to spend a lot of time with her kids and at the same time was very dedicated to helping wildlife as a wildlife rehabilitator for over 40 years. She loved being outdoors and was always rescuing animals in need and helping in their rehabilitation. On any given day in her house you might come upon a snake, birds, gerbils, hamsters, iguanas and more. And not only did she love her family and all the animals, but she also loved the plants. In her backyard were plants she collected from her travels. She would find interesting plants wherever she roamed, dig them up and transplant them in her yard.

Her contributions and love for everything will be missed. In addition to her four children, she is survived by four grandchildren, Desiree, Jamie, Joni and Amerige and two great grandchildren, Kendra and Kyra.

Relatives and friends may call from 10-11:00am on Thursday, March 29 at the Jones Funeral Home, Inc., 1503 Union Street. Burial will be in St. John’s Evangelical Lutheran Church on Sand Creek Road in Albany.