Frances Ann (Bonfoey) Cooke (1910 - 2007)

Born 3 Dec 1910 in Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Died 28 Oct 2007 at age 96 in Denver, Denver, Colorado, United States

Biography

(Obituary, undated): Ann died peacefully at her Denver home on Sunday, Oct. 28, 2007, surrounded by family members. She was 96. Born Dec. 3, 1910, and raised in Quincy, Illinois. Ann exhibited an early passion when as a 6-year-old her father introduced her to flying in open two-seater bi-planes. When she was 12, her father hired a pilot to teach Ann to fly, and despite the then all-male atmosphere of the age and a resentful teacher, Ann learned to fly and loved it. She married James Negley Cooke in 1928. They had two children. Early in their marriage, Ann’s expertise at tennis led her to competing at Wimbledon. Ann moved to Vermont after marrying. Nicknamed "Nose Dive Annie" in the late 1930s when she lived in Stowe, she was known for her rapid ski ascents on climbing skins and expert ski technique on that ski trail. She became an alternate in 1939 on the Women’s Olympic Ski Team. After her marriage to Cooke ended, she was a flight instructor for flight students, which included Navy and Army pilots. After WWII she became a clothing designer, She married Vernon (Moose) Taylor, Jr. in 1947. They moved to Denver and later Vail, where they built one of the earliest residences. It was in Denver that Ann developed a passion for horses and become an expert in dressage, hunting and jumping, which she and Moose engaged in not only in Denver, but also in Middleburg, Va., and Leicestershire, England, riding into their late 80s. Ann also served on the advisory board of the American Associates of the Royal Academy Trust and the World Wildlife Fund.

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