Help Bring Brenda Home for Final Rest

It is with a heavy heart that I have to share with you all that I recently loss my mom, Brenda R Cooke. It was a sudden and unexpected death. Brenda R Cooke passed away June 1st 2024 at 5:01pm. As many of you know, my mom and I were extremely close. She was my best friend and I was hers. As an only child raised by a single parent, we were each other’s world, confidants, and adventure-seekers. But I learned early in life that my mom didn’t only belong to me. My mom’s gifts of compassion, empathy, kindness, care, and genuine love for people made many others feel she was like a mom to them as well. My mom strongly believed in giving and taught my the principle of giving. Many people considered my mom like family, she was their sister, mother, aunt, and for a small group of children grandmother-figure. Many would share with me how lucky I was to have her as my actual mom, and they were right, I was lucky. I would tell her, I’m so grateful God chose you to be my mother, I couldn’t ask for a better one. My mom would give her time, her ear, her money, her accounting services, and her unique set of skills to help anyone that entered her world. No matter how tired, stressed, or busy she was, she had a special gift of making every single person feel uniquely special.

Today, I’m asking for your help. My mom died in a state that is not her own. As I transition out of Illinois, I would also like to bring my mama home with me so she can be laid to rest near her parents in Phoenix, Arizona where she is from.

With funeral costs being so high and her death being unexpected. I was not prepared to financially, fund my mother’s funeral. As I struggle to made decisions based on the expenses ahead of me, I can only gasp at how unprepared I was for such an unexpected turn of events. If you have it in your heart to give, both my mom and I would greatly appreciate it. If my mom made an impact on you in anyway by making you feel loved, heard, seen, appreciated, or nurtured this would be a great time to return to her a little of what she gave. I would also love hearing your stories.

Also, thank you to those that have already given through Zelle, I can’t tell you how much it’s appreciated. If others would like to give through Zelle, the info is as follows:

N’Tricia Cooke

815.370.0864

I’m hoping to get everything paid for by June 7th.

I will keep everyone posted about the funeral services and arrangements.

Thank you

Sincerely,

N’Tricia C Cooke