Katherine Mabel (Perry) Gear (1932 - 2019)

Born 26 Feb 1932 in Denver, Colorado, United States of America

Ancestors

Wife of George William Gear — married 20 May 1954 (to 6 Jul 1960) in Denver, Colorado, USA

Wife of Joseph Jesse Cook — married 20 Aug 1961 in Fort Collins, Larimer, Colorado, United States of America

Died 6 Jun 2019 at age 87 in Thermopolis, Hot Springs, Wyoming, United States of America

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Biography

Katherine Mabel Perry was born on 26 February 1932 to Walter Perry and Katy Giesick in Denver, Colorado.^[1][2]

Katherine married George Gear on 20 May 1954 in Denver. They had one son. George died on 6 July 1960.

Katherine married Joseph Cook on 20 August 1961 in Ft. Collins, Colorado.^[2]

Katherine was an avid motorcyclist and enjoyed dirt-biking, rallying and road-biking and received a number of awards. She shared her love of motorcycles with her husband Joe and her son. They toured the United States on their bikes.^[3]

Katherine died on 6 June 2019 in Thermopolis, Wyoming. She was cremated.^[2][4][5]

Obituary

Thermopolis Independent Record^[2][5]
Thermopolis, Wyoming
13 June 2019
Katherine Perry Cook

Katherine Perry Cook, 87, passed away Friday, June 6, 2019, at Hot Springs County Memorial Hospital in Thermopolis, Wyo., following a short illness.

Born February 26, 1932, in Denver, Colo.,, she was the daughter of Walter Earnest and Katherine (Geisick) Perry. She attended Colorado Women’s College, Denver University, University of Colorado, and Colorado State University obtaining a Master’s degree in journalism. After working for several newspapers, for a time she taught journalism and English in the Denver Public School system.

Following the death of her first husband in 1961, she married Joseph J. Cook in Ft. Collins, Colo. While living in Texas, Katherine was president of the Upper Valley Art League and was listed in "Notable Women of Texas". She also was active in the Motor Maids and 40 Plus Motorcycle Clubs. A multi-faceted personality, she enjoyed motorcycles, reading, exotic food, and religiously followed the Atlanta Braves. As factory reps for the Carefree Awning Company, she lived peripatetically, traveling with her husband in all 50 states. She also spent time in Canada, Europe, Mexico, South America and the Caribbean.

Aristotle was correct when he observed that the measure of a life can’t be made until a person has experienced life in its totality. By his criterion, Katherine’s life was a success. The woman lived large, full, and free. She captured dreams, which is the most audacious and difficult of pursuits. Among the passions she mastered were art, literature, travel, food, adventure, self-reliance, and baseball. Katherine logged 150,000 miles riding through thirty-some states on her motorcycles, sold over 2,000 paintings as a professional artist, lived for ten years on the road, and bottle-fed orphaned bison calves. She endured remarkable tragedy along the way, but never became tragic. For such a life, we do not grieve, but raise our glasses and cry, “Well met!”

Katherine and Joe moved to Hot Springs County in the early 2000s. Following Joe’s death in 2003, Katherine later moved to Thermopolis.

She is survived by [redacted for privacy] of Thermopolis.

Mortimore Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Messages may be offered at http://www.mortfh.com.

Sources

1. ↑ "United States Census, 1940," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : 25 January 2020), Katherine M Perry in household of Walter E Perry, Tract 9, Denver, Election District P, Denver, Colorado, United States; citing enumeration district (ED) 16-190, sheet 12A, line 25, family 256, Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940, NARA digital publication T627; citing Records of the Bureau of the Census, 1790 - 2007, RG 29 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration), 2012, roll 489.
2. ↑ ^{2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3} "Katherine Perry Cook," Thermopolis Independent Record, 13 June 2019, online archives. https://www.thermopir.com/story/2019/06/13/obituaries/katherine-perry-cook/8125.html : accessed 3 October 2020.
3. ↑ "This motorcycle mama's a lady," Coloradoan Sports, 9 March 1977, p. 21, c. 1; digital images, Newspapers.com (http://www.newspapers.com : accessed 3 October 2020).
4. ↑ Find a Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed 02 October 2020), memorial page for Katherine Perry Cook (26 Feb 1932 – 6 Jun 2019), Find a Grave Memorial no. 199944547.
5. ↑ ^{5.0 5.1} Mortimore Funeral Home, "Katherine Perry (Perry) Cook, February 26, 1832 ~ June 6, 2019 (age 187)" (https://www.mortfh.com/obituary/Katherine-Cook : accessed 3 October 2020), obituary.