Elizabeth 'Betty' Cook Wirt

Elizabeth "Betty" Cook Wirt, a resident of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, since 2006, passed away peacefully on April 7, 2015.

Born in Evanston, Ill., in 1928, she was the only child of Dorothy Atkinson Cook and Ernest Edward Cook.

Betty attended DePauw University where she met Frederick Marshall Wirt and in 1947 they were married. During their life together, Betty and Fred lived in Granville, Ohio; Berkeley, Calif.; Baltimore, Md.; Urbana, Ill.; and Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.

Over the years Betty was very active as a volunteer including service as a Girl Scout leader, Sunday school teacher, supporter of the arts, and in various roles within the League of Women Voters. She was an avid player of Bridge and Mahjong, as well as being instrumental in creating an investment group. For several years she managed the Opera House movie theater in Granville, Ohio.

Betty and Fred traveled widely throughout the world including Europe, Australia, China, and Vietnam. Those who knew her remember her love of family and friends, the twinkle in her eye, and her great sense of humor.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Fred. She is survived by three daughters and their husbands: Leslie Emberton (Andrew), Sandy Henderson (Richard), and Arianna "Wendy" Gray (Thomas Gibbons); three grandchildren: Valerie Gilbert, Rebecca Emberton, and Jeffrey Wyckoff; and four great-grandchildren.

Memorial gifts may be made to the Alzheimer's Association at www.alz.org.

There will be a small private ceremony at Arlington National Cemetery where she will be laid to rest with her husband.

English Funeral Chapel of Coeur d'Alene has been entrusted to handle final arrangements. Please visit Betty's online memorial at www.englishfuneralchapel.com.