Lois V. (Welch) Cookson

Lois V. Cookson, age 98, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, at Ingraham Manor in Bristol, CT. Born in West Bridgewater, MA on February 6, 1924, Lois was the daughter of the late Everett and Edith (Godfrey) Welch. She was raised in Freetown, MA by her Aunt and Uncle, Elbert and Louise Welch, after the death of her mother when she was three years old. She was raised as their daughter and a sister of Harriet Welch Parker. Lois graduated from New Bedford High School, class of 1942, and she married Glenn Freeman Cookson in 1943. They had two children, a son, Glenn Allen Cookson (Cookie) and a daughter, Lynn Cookson.

Lois became a Licensed Social Worker in 1968 while working at the Nichols House in New Bedford. She became the Director of Social Work and Admissions at Island Terrace in Lakeville from 1971-1979. She obtained her Nursing Home Administrators License in 1973 and served as the Administrator of The Home for the Aged (Adams House) in Fall River and The Nichols House in New Bedford. Later she became The Executive Director of The Eastern Star Home in Orange, MA. She was an active member of the Order of the Eastern Star in conjunction with her husband Glenn who served as a Brother in The Masonic Fraternity. She was instrumental in setting up the American Field Service Student Exchange Program in her community and hosted many International Students from various Countries in her home. After the death of her son in an MVA in 1990, she spent a brief period of time in Florida. While there, she became the Director of an AIDS House where she provided supervision and care for young men dying from AIDS. She subsequently returned to New England due to her love for and strong ties to Freetown. She was an avid animal lover. She consistently owned and rescued many cats and dogs throughout her adult years. She was a lover of Nature, Flowers and Birds.

She is predeceased by all of her seven siblings as well as her devoted husband Glenn F. Cookson and her beloved son, Glenn A. Cookson. She is survived by her daughter Lynn Cookson Palmer of Morris, CT, her six grandchildren, Cara (Derek) Helmecki,  Carly Palmer, Allen Cookson, Adam Cookson, Ashley Cookson Swaine and Austin Cookson, as well as her ten great-grandchildren. Visitation for Lois will be held on Wednesday October 19, 2022, from 1:00 – 2:00PM, followed by a Graveside Service at Chace Cemetery in East Freetown. In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations in Lois’s name may be sent to the Freetown Historical Society at 1 Slab Bridge Road, Assonet, MA 02702, or by visiting their website at www.Freetownhistoricalsociety.org.or to Habitat for Cats, P.O. Box 79571, North Dartmouth, MA.

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