Deborah (Bradshaw) Cook

Deborah L. Bradshaw was born in Bluefield, West Virginia on August 18, 1944 to Naomi & Lee Edward Bradshaw.  She was the youngest of three sisters; Juanita (Carole) Bradshaw, Barbara Phillips, and she is followed by one brother William Bradshaw and James Murphy (cousin).

Deborah was a very talkative and inquisitive child.  She would often tell a story of how she would wait for her mother to get home from work so that she could tell her everything she did during the day.  She would hop from foot to foot telling her story until her mother would say “Deborah, please be quiet”, and then she would wait for approximately 30 seconds before she couldn’t help herself and had to finish telling her mom what had happened.  Since Barbara and Deborah were only 10 months apart in age,  they were raised as if they were twins.  They dressed alike, were in the same grade, and were always together.  Even now they lived in the same building, just 2 floors apart.

Deborah moved from West Virginia to Boston in 1959 and graduated from Girls High in 1961.

Deborah married Ronald L. Cook in 1961 and, although their union eventually ended, she had two sons Ronald and Donald.  Years later, she was blessed to have her only girl, Tiffany, with Howard Grant.

Deborah worked at various jobs including The Chocolate Factory and The Curtain Factory and ended her career as a children’s librarian at the Phyllis Wheatley Middle School in Roxbury.  She always had a love of reading and instilled that into her students.  She was loved by students, parents, and faculty alike.

Deborah became a devout Jehovah’s Witness in 1978 and she joined the Washington Park congregation.  Debbie (as she was commonly called) pioneered shortly after getting baptized.  She was a faithful servant of Jehovah and dedicated her life to spreading His word.  She was a member of several congregations including Hyde Park and Forest Hills.

Pictures and figures of pandas and lighthouses decorated her home.  She was an avid seamstress, loved playing games with her grandchildren, crafting and just recently started making jewelry with her sister Barbara.  But above all else, Deborah loved her family and friends and found joy in spreading the word of god with others.  During the 2020 pandemic, she spent her time witnessing and writing letters of encouragement to her fellow Jehovah’s Witnesses, family and friends.  All who knew her will miss receiving her wise advice and encouragement.  She will be remembered as very talkative, kind-hearted, and loyal by her family and friends.

She is survived by her siblings Juanita (Carole) Bradshaw, Barbara Phillips, William Bradshaw and James Murphy.  She leaves behind her children Ronald Cook (Sheila Bennett), Donald Cook (Theresa Cook) and Tiffany Cook (Amen Eubanks) and her grandchildren, who affectionately called her “Abuelita” or “Abby”,  Jamal Bennett (Danielle Bennett), Jernell Cook, Jeron Cook (Lauren Cook), Amanda Levesque, Ashlei Cook, Rita Cook, Khaie Cook, Kamani Cook.  She also leaves behind twelve great-grandchildren and a host of other beloved relatives and friends.

Deborah is now sleeping until she is called by Jehovah, to wake up in paradise (John 5:28, 29).  We weep now because we love you so, and can’t wait until you are awakened from this state of sleep.  We will keep the resurrection hope to help us cope, until we see your smiling face again, dear mother, sister and trusted friend.

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