Reva Dell Craven Cook Obituary (1932

Reva Dell Craven Cook, 88, died of natural causes, July 4, 2020, at the home of her son, Ted Cook, in Santa Paula, California. Reva was born June 21, 1932 in Orangeburg, South Carolina to Thelma Lucille Croft and Keegan Nicholas Craven. Her life was big, encompassing much more than would have been thought possible for a child born into the most meager circumstances in the South during the Great Depression. By the end of her life, she had lived in 11 states and 3 countries; had four children whom she called her greatest accomplishment; had seen the worst of the Great Depression, the first commercial transatlantic flight, the advent of indoor plumbing as a standard, WWII, the Korean War, the birth of television, the Civil Rights Movement, the first man on the moon, the building up and tearing down of the Berlin Wall, the development of home computers, and the invention of cell phones, which she learned to use (sort of). During the fifth and sixth grades, Reva plucked chickens for the school’s lunches, for which service she would receive a little money and a “free” lunch. Most of the money went to purchase necessities, with a few pennies saved for candy obtained by sneaking away from school during the chicken-plucking sessions. Starting at about the age of 13 or 14, Reva moved from plucking chickens to picking cotton during the summer months in order to provide clothes for herself. She used to say that the girls at school would admire her summer suntan, but that she would never admit to them that she had gotten it in the cotton fields. Henry and Norman, Reva’s brothers, were an important part of her life and she greatly loved them. The three of them had all sorts of death-defying adventures together, including an incredible rescue of Norman by Reva. The two of them loved to smell the gasoline that was kept in a 50-gallon drum on their grandfather’s farm. Norman was sniffing the fumes one day, when he passed out and fell into the drum. Reva somehow managed to pull the heavy drum (about 500 pounds) over onto her lap and dragged Norman out of the gasoline. This story and many others were told over and over through the years, and each time, the three siblings would roar with laughter. That boisterous, roaring, soul-cleansing laughter was their trademark of togetherness. After graduating from high school in 1950, Reva went to work as a medical secretary in the field of psychiatry. She first worked at the Edgewood Mental Hospital, then later, at the South Carolina State Hospital in Columbia. Her shorthand skills were excellent, and she used them for many years in everyday tasks such as jotting down notes or making lists. In 1953, Reva met William Emsy Cook (Bill) at the boarding house where they both lived in Columbia, South Carolina. Bill had just been discharged from the army following his service in the Korean War. Their relationship almost never got off the ground because Bill was late for their first date by several hours. He had been out with his buddies and thought nothing of keeping Reva waiting. She set him straight when he finally arrived, refusing to go out with him and sent him on his way. Reva had a talent for setting people straight and Bill was no exception. Their somewhat bumpy romance blossomed, as romances do, and they were married on July 17, 1954. Reva worked to help support Bill through college and often said that she was the only reason Bill passed college English. She was always excellent at spelling and writing and her typing skills were phenomenal. These skills would become well-known to Reva’s children, both as a source of help on their school papers and as a source of ‘character enhancement’. It was a terrifying thing for her children to come home from school and find a note affixed to their bedroom doors regarding the state of their rooms. The notes were typed with such efficiency and force that it appeared as braille on the backside of the paper. Bill was Reva’s greatest love – she loved to be mad at him and she loved to make up with him. The making-up brought four children into the world, Terri, Ted, Donna and Leslie, to whom she devoted her entire life. She used to say that she would show off her babies as if she were the only woman in the world who could have produced a baby. When her babies had babies, she loved and adored them as well, becoming ‘Nama’ or ‘Dory’ to Kristin, Matt, Perry, Lauren, Tricia, Chad, Sara, Katie, Keegan, Ashley, Emily, Stephen, Abigail, and Emsy. Despite Reva’s great love and devotion to her family, she was fully invested in her Savior, Jesus Christ. In her mid-twenties she converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It took her a few years to completely accept the religion, but once she did, her testimony was strong and unshakable. Her devotion was witnessed in her actions as she served in being a Sunday School teacher (she was a really good one!), Primary teacher, and numerous times as the President of her local Primary, Young Women’s and Relief Society. Her favorite service positions were with the children and she literally served them all over the world. In her eyes, all of God’s children were equal and she had great stores of compassion even for the lowliest of them. Reva was spunky and proud and willful and humble. She understood having nothing, so she shared everything. There were many things she disliked, but none more than stinginess. Don’t be stingy. Among all of the things that can be said about Reva, the ability to laugh at herself was one of her greatest accomplishments. Whether it be from falling down (a lot), being directionally challenged (again, a lot), becoming quick to anger or just getting it all wrong from the beginning, she could laugh as her children recounted her embarrassments. If there is only one thing remembered about Reva, let it be to laugh at your own absurdities. Well, maybe two things. Don’t be stingy, either. Preceding Reva in death are her husband, Bill Cook; mother, Thelma Lucille Croft Craven Bates; father, Keegan Nicholas Craven; stepfather, Clifton Marion Bates; a brother, Henry Craven, and a granddaughter, Emily Cook. She is survived by her children: daughter, Leslie Cook Baty and husband, Jason; daughter, Donna Cook Mosley and husband, Rusty; son, Ted Cook and wife Suzette; and daughter, Terri Cook Spencer and husband John; 13 grandchildren; 11 great grandchildren; a brother and sister in-law, Norman K Craven and his wife, Barbara May Craven; and a sister in-law, Ernestine Lindomman Craven, wife of brother, Henry Craven. A viewing will be held from 9:30-10:00 a.m. at the Berg Mortuary of Provo, 185 East Center Street. Graveside services will follow at 11:00 a.m. at Eastlawn Memorial Hills Cemetery, 4800 North 650 East, Provo, Utah. Condolences may be expressed at www.bergmortuary.com.