Jane Elizabeth Alexander Cook, 103, of Saratoga Springs, NY, formerly of Fulton, NY, died recently at Saratoga Hospital.
Born in Utica, NY, she was the fourth of five daughters born to Flora Emily (née Roberts) and Russell Lowell Alexander.
Jane was valedictorian of her high school class, graduated from Morrisville College, and served as administrative assistant to the military personnel director for veterans at Rhoades Military Hospital in New York Mills during WWII. After the war, she met and married Ernest Mellor Cook in 1949. Ernest, an Army Air Corps veteran of WWII, was a mechanical engineer (Northeastern U.) at Black Clawson in Fulton. They were active members of the State Street United Methodist Church in Fulton. Jane was a member of various social organizations (prominently, the Shakespeare Club and the Methodist Women’s Circle), volunteered in schools, and generously gave of herself to others.
Several years after retiring from Norstar Bank in Fulton, she moved to Saratoga Springs, NY, to be near her son William and beloved daughter-in-law Christine, and her grandchildren and great grandchildren. Jane attended Galway Methodist Church in Galway, NY. During her last ten years, she lived in Woodlawn Commons, an assisted living community in Saratoga Springs.
Surviving are two sons, Russell (Mary Ellen) of La Grange, IL, and William (Christine) of Ballston Spa, NY; grandchildren Brian (Erin) and Sara (Lukas) Smida; great grandchildren Connor, Aiden, Brennan, Emma and Pippa; brother-in-law Robert Cook of Brookshire, TX, and cousin Thomas Roberts of Sycamore, IL. Jane was preceded in death by her husband Ernest and their grandson David.
A memorial service will be held at Woodlawn Commons in the Harkness building, 156 Lawrence St., Saratoga Springs, on October 21, 2025, at 2:00 PM. Burial will be in Pine Plains Cemetery, Town of Clay, NY, following a brief memorial service at 11:00 AM on Thursday, October 23, 2025, at Foster Funeral Home in Fulton, NY. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made by check to Woodlawn Commons (with "Sunshine Fund" in the memo line), 156 Lawrence St., Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. To leave a special message for the family, please visit www.fosterfuneralhome.com.
Foster Funeral Home
Pine Plains Cemetery
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