Beulah "Bee" LaVerle (McAdams) Cook, daughter of Carl L. and Betty D. (Peterson) McAdams, was born on March 31, 1944, in Logan, Iowa. She entered into eternal rest at the Shenandoah Medical Center in Shenandoah, Iowa, on July 6, 2025, at the age of 81.
She graduated from Logan High School in 1962, the last year before Logan consolidated with Magnolia. After graduation she attended Commercial Extension in Omaha, Nebraska. Bee's first job was in accounting at Omaha Beauty, then a space was carved out to raise two of her three children, Bill Todd and Patricia Gayle. After that, Bee lived in Arkansas, and moved back to Shenandoah, Iowa, where she resided for the remainder of her life. She married Bob Cook in August 1984 and would have celebrated 41 years of marriage.
Bee preferred to be outside working with her flowers and yard. However, she also worked at H&R Block and on the off season she worked on the then Congressman, Jim Lighfoot's campaign. As another side job, she worked at Central Survey until she retired. A funny story about her retirement, she had gone to Bob and asked if she could retire. He told her yes, as soon as the house and car were paid off, thinking that her retirement would be put off for several more years. Unbeknownst to him, she proceeded to go to the credit union, withdrew the money, paid off the car and house, and retired! It is a story that Bob laughs about while telling the guys he worked with, this skirmish the flowers won.
She was preceded in death by her parents; mother-in-law; two of her children, Bill Todd and Kristin Dyane; sister and brother-in-law, Louella (William) Snodgrass; and cousin, Sharon Leonard. She is survived by her husband, Bob; daughter, Patty (Terry) Brown; granddaughter, Taryn; special aunt, Florence Peterson; numerous cousins, nieces and nephews.
After retirement, Bob learned to cherish his wife and the things she did so skillfully to manage a household. She always told him, "A man works from dawn to dusk, but a woman's job is never done." Bob admits that he was never good at multi-tasking, but if he had it all to do over again, he would definitely do it all over again. Bee never knew a stranger and people loved talking to her.
Services are pending. Memorials may be directed to the Shenandoah Public Library, the Paralyzed Veterans of America, or the donor's choice.
