Dorothy Cook

Dorothy Cook, 66, died September 30, 2017, at Sakakawea Medical Center. A memorial service will be held at 10:30 am Thursday, October 12, at St. George’s Episcopal Church, 601 N 4th St., Bismarck. There will be a celebration of her life at from 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm Wednesday, October 11, at Parkway Funeral Service, 2330 Tyler Parkway, Bismarck, where a sharing of memories will begin at 7:00 pm. It was Dorothy’s wish that everyone wear Duke blue that evening. First and foremost Dorothy loved her friends and they loved her. During her two and a half-year fight with pancreatic cancer, letters of encouragement and love came from all areas of the country recounting stories of how Dorothy was a positive impact on their lives. Dorothy was born in Riverdale, ND, on May 14, 1951, and moved Broken Bow, Oklahoma, where she graduated from high school in 1969. After attending Northeastern State University in Tahlequah, OK, she worked in the field of medical technology and as a lab tech at Duke University Hospital in the blood bank. Her years at Duke solidified her as a Blue Devils fan for life. In 1989, she completed her Bachelor’s Degree in Parks and Recreation at North Carolina State University. In the early 1990s, Dorothy attained her goal of becoming a Park Ranger with the National Park Service. She worked at the Arkansas Post National Memorial; Teddy Memorial National Park, North Unit; and found her home at the Knife River Indian Village in Stanton, ND, where she spent 16 years until her retirement in 2016. This brought her full circle back to the area where she was born. Dorothy cultivated many friendships from those she worked with and met during her time at Knife River, especially with the Three Affiliated Native American Tribes. Dorothy is survived by her brother, David Callis and his family of Colorado; as well as cousins and friends across the country. She was preceded in death by her mother, Annie Wilfreda Anderson and her father, Earl Clifford Callis. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the V Foundation for cancer research at www.JimmyV.org in Dorothy’s memory.