Celebrating the Life of Muriel Cook (Shelly's Mom)

Muriel Cook Memorial Service Video

Muriel Lee Culver Cook was born to missionary parents in Foochow, China on January 26, 1930. She was the youngest of five children and the cherished only daughter. The Culver family returned to the United States where Muriel attended grade school in Kentucky. Her family moved to Indiana where she spent the rest of her school years. When she was in high school she sang soprano in many operettas and won the Indiana State Championship for her solo voice. Muriel studied at Taylor University. After four years of dating her high school sweetheart Norman, they married on June 18, 1950. 

As a young couple, Norman and Muriel moved to Taipei, Taiwan where they served for 16 years. Muriel taught Bible studies as well as American manners and customs to Chinese beauty queens in a charm school. She knocked on every door within walking distance of their home and shared the gospel with any Chinese women who invited her in. Muriel hosted countless visitors in their home and entertained such people as Gladys Aylward (AKA: The Small Woman), Corrie ten Boom, Dr Billy Graham and his team, Dr John and Mary Mitchell, Hudson Taylor Jr., Dr Henrietta Mears, and many others. Their daughters, Shelly and Milei were born in Taiwan.

 

In 1969, the Cooks moved to California where they worked at the Overseas Crusades (now One Challenge, Int’l) headquarters. Muriel trained, counseled and mentored scores of women. She was known for her passion for God, grace, peaceful spirit, warm hospitality and deep wisdom. She was also the first woman to serve on the OC Board.

In 1980, after spending 28 years in international mission work, Norman and Muriel moved to work at Multnomah School of the Bible (now Multnomah University). Muriel’s title was “Counselor at Large”.  She often cautioned people to be careful to not think of her as a “large counselor”! Many summers Norm and Muriel traveled worldwide encouraging former Multnomah students serving in far-flung places. They also spent seven delightful summers as “Missionaries in Residence” at Hume Lake Christian Camps, speaking weekly to grade school, middle school and high school campers.

Muriel loved beauty and created it wherever she went. Their home, her office and its surroundings reflect that love. She painted with oils, collected tea pots, arranged flowers and enjoyed many kinds of music. Most of all, she saw the beauty in others and biblically encouraged them through their life challenges. Muriel continued to teach, counsel and mentor women, even after she entered the hospital a few short weeks ago.

Many years ago, Muriel developed a seminar titled, “Kitchen Table Counseling”, which she taught all over the world. She partnered with her daughter Shelly and wrote the book Kitchen Table Counseling, which was published by NavPress in 2006. The book has been translated into five languages, most notably, Chinese.

Muriel is survived by her husband of 69 years Norman V. Cook, her daughters, Shelly and her husband Glen Volkhardt and their children, Carl, his wife Jamie and Culver all of Colorado Springs, CO; Milei and her husband Scott Yardley and their daughter Brynn of Long Beach, CA; and Timbre Yardley of Portland, OR.  The Cooks’ two great-grandchildren are Conor Mock and Yael Volkhardt.

UPDATE: A video of Muriel's memorial is now available online.