Obituary: Catherine “Kay” Rose Cook

Obituary was published and funeral arrangements were entrusted to the care and direction of the Fred C. Dames Funeral Home and Crematory​.

Catherine “Kay” Rose (Fitzgerald) Cook

Born: February 6, 1939

Died: July 9, 2026

Catherine “Kay” Rose (Fitzgerald) Cook, a lifelong resident of Joliet and Lockport, died Thursday, July 9, 2026, at Lightways Hospice after a long and vibrant life. She was surrounded by her large, loving family.

The eldest child of Catherine and Raymond Fitzgerald, Kay grew up on Broadway Street and later at the corner of Hunter and Marion Streets in Joliet.She graduated from St. Patrick School (1953) and St. Francis Academy (1957).For several years,Kay worked for the Rock Island and Pacific Railroad, riding their train line to the Rock Island office in Chicago each day.

In 1959, Kay met her future husband Freeman on a blind date. They hit it off immediately, building a beautiful life together. They married on June 11, 1960, and welcomed four beautiful children in five years. Kay and Free raised their family on Milne Drive and Valley Lane in Lockport. Their company, WALCO Tool and Engineering, was an important part of their lives.

Kay built vibrant and lasting communities through the years, including at the Forest Country Club in Fort Myers, her Big Run Golf Club group, and the Lockport Women’s Club. Kay immensely enjoyed family gatherings, a cold glass of chardonnay and a good laugh, trips to Wilmington Recreation Club, Lake of the Ozarks, New Orleans, and their second home in Fort Myers. Kay and her baby sister Jeanie savored their Friday outings together to the beauty parlor and grocery store.

Kay was preceded in death by her husband of 53 years, Freeman Cook, Jr.; daughters, Kathleen Cook and Mary Alice Cook; parents, Catherine (Schweizer) and Raymond Fitzgerald; sister and best friend, Jean (Fitzgerald) Hooks; in-laws, Daisy (Pugh) and Freeman Cook, Sr.; sister-in-law, Mary (the late Mason) Wilburn; brother-in-law, Richard Hines; and niece, Christine “Kris” (Fitzgerald) Toborg.

She is survived by her beloved children, David M. Cook, Ph.D. (Kristina Anderson) of Barrington Hills and Judith A. (Michael) Elison of Jasper, Alabama.She adored her grandchildren, Kathleen “Kate” (Shane) Semler, Josh Elison, Hannah (Kyle) Yates, and Amelia Cook, and great-grandchildren, Weston and Birdie Semler and Haisley and Ella Yates. Kay is also survived by her beloved brothers, Thomas (JoAnn) Fitzgerald and William (Marcia) Fitzgerald; brother-in-law, Stephen (the late Jean) Hooks; sisters-in-law, Joan (Joseph) Guglielmetti and Martha (the late Richard) Hines. She is dearly loved by her many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

The Cook family extends great thanks and appreciation to all of the health care providers who cared for Kay with deep compassion. Nurse Brittany from the Mother Theresa Home and Cece, Alice, and the inpatient unit staff at Lightways Hospice and Serious Illness Care provided great support to Kay and her family. The Cook family is also deeply grateful to Kay’s niece Colleen Abbott and her family for their extraordinary devotion and care for Kay, especially during the last months of her life.

Visitation for Kay Cook will be held Saturday, July 11, 2026, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., at Fred C. Dames Funeral Home, 3200 Black Road, Joliet. Family and friends will then go in procession to the Resurrection Mausoleum Chapel, Romeoville where a committal ceremony will be conducted. Entombment will follow in the Resurrection Mausoleum.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Barrington Area Council on Aging (BACOA) Day Out Program for Alzheimer’s Patients, 6000 Garlands Lane, Suite 100, Barrington IL 60010 (www.bacoa.org). Checks must be made payable to the “BACOA Day Out Program”. Memorials may also be made to Marklund, 1S450 Wyatt Drive, Geneva, IL 60134 (www.marklund.org), an organization that serves individuals with profound disabilities, or to a charity of the donor’s choice.

For more information, please call (815) 741-5500, or visit her Memorial Tribute at www.fredcdames.com where you may leave an online condolence or share a favorite memory.

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