Doris Ann Hook’s family describes her as the “ultimate caregiver” who took joy watching over her family and her extended family at First Presbyterian Church of Festus.
Mrs. Hook, 89, of Festus died Dec. 29, 2013.
Her daughter Kathy Bungenstock, also of Festus, had the opportunity to care for her mother for the last few months before her death.
In the past year, Mrs. Hook suffered a heart attack, and a serious fall and a recurrence of the cancer.
“She was staying with us and couldn’t ever get used to us helping her. She was always the caregiver,” Bungenstock said. “I explained to her, ‘We learned from the best.’”
Mrs. Hook lived her entire life in Festus. She was married for more than 50 years to Carl Hook, who preceded her in death. She worked at the PPG plant in Crystal City as a secretary in the hospital unit, but didn’t return to work after daughter Kathy was born.
Her life revolved around her family and the doings at the former First Presbyterian Church, 207 N. Mill St. The church congregation dissolved in April 2012.
“She grew up in that church,” Bungenstock said. “She was baptized there. She was married in that church.”
She served as a church elder, treasurer and was the financial secretary for more than 50 years.
Fran Blaha, 80, of Festus met Mrs. Hook in the early 1960s when Blaha’s family joined the church. The two quickly became friends.
“She was one special lady,” Blaha said. “She took us in, showed us and helped us with everything we needed.”
For a time, Mrs. Hook and Blaha led a junior high youth group at the church.
“She helped the youth do so many nice things for the community – Christmas caroling, taking cookies to shut-ins – so many things to guide the children to serve,” Blaha said. “Everything Doris did was for the glory of God. She was a giver, a great giver.”
When the Rev. William Charlton was assigned to the First Presbyterian Church, Mrs. Hook was one of the first church leaders he met.
“She was fabulous,” he said. “I don’t think anyone was more committed to First Presbyterian than her.”
She knew the history of the church and kept track of its members, especially those who were sick or who were shut-in.
“I would go out visiting, and she would bake things for me to take out,” he said. “She would make cookies or brown breads.”
Bungenstock said her mother loved to bake.
“She loved to bake and then give her baked goods away,” Bungenstock said. “I can never remember any time growing up when we didn’t have cookies or all kinds of homemade things. In her heyday it was nothing for her to have 15 to 20 kinds of cookies at Christmas. A lot of her friends got cookies for Christmas gifts.”
Later in life, when Mrs. Hook was battling breast cancer, she took baked goods to her doctors.
“Even when she finished radiation after breast cancer she stayed up and made a big platter of cookies and bread for the people at the office,” her daughter recalled.
While others likely remember the cookies and sweets, Bungenstock knows her mom loved to cook all sorts of things. “We didn’t have meals out of a box,” she said. “Everything was home cooked.”
While Bungenstock was away at college, her fiance (later her husband, Mark) was working in Festus and ate lunch with Mrs. Hook almost every day.
After Bungenstock’s son, Matt, was born, Mrs. Hook would prepare big meals for the whole family.
“She was my son’s only baby sitter and she was really proud about that,” Bungenstock said. “He stayed at her house. He got on the bus for kindergarten from her house. He got off the bus at her house.”
When Matt was a high school football player, Mrs. Hook made sure the entire team got fed. When he was a college student, her care packages were coveted at the fraternity house.
The Rev. Charlton said Mrs. Hook made not only delivered baked goods, she also made countless phone calls and gave hundreds of cards.
“She was a card person,” Charlton said. “Every birthday, every occasion, she sent cards.”
Bungenstock said her mother never forgot anyone’s birthday or anniversary. She sent get-well cards. “She was a good friend to Hallmark. She sent Easter cards and every occasion card. If there were Groundhog Day cards, she would send them.”
She also wrote letters.
“I went to SEMO for four years,” Bungenstock said. “She wrote every day. Sometimes I would get behind in letter reading. I had to put them in chronological order because she wrote about everything.”
Mrs. Hook had developed her letter-writing skills when her brother, William, was in the military. “She wrote him a letter every day he was gone,” Bungenstock said. “And she had beautiful penmanship.”
It seems appropriate that a letter was a highlight at Mrs. Hook’s funeral service.
The letter was written by grandson Matt, who thanked his grandmother for all she had done for him and others.
“There is no denying we had a very special bond,” he wrote. “You were the ultimate caregiver. You were always there for us. You loved your church, your family and your coffee. I will never be able to thank you enough.”
“Life Story,” posted each Saturday on Leader Publications’ website, focuses on one individual’s impact on his or her community.