Pamala "Pam" Sharp Cook

Pamala Sharp Cook, 78, of Owensboro, KY, died quietly in her home surrounded by family on January 24, 2025. She loved her husband, her three sons, and her students with her whole heart.

Pam was born in Forrest City, AR, on July 28, 1946, to Glenn and Essie Sharp. She was raised in Little Rock and graduated from Hall High School. She attended Mississippi State College for Women and the University of Arkansas, Little Rock, where she pledged with Delta Delta Delta sorority.

“All I ever wanted was to marry Robert Cook and to have three sons,” Pam would tell her friends later in life.

That dream started at age 15 when she met Robert, who was then best known for driving the fastest car in Arkansas, a powder blue 1962 Chevy 409 Super Sport.

They married in 1967. And the three sons—Rad, Harper, and Judson—soon followed.

In 1976, Robert was asked to move to western Kentucky to manage several factories. The couple let a coin settle the dispute over where to live. Heads: Owensboro; Tails: Bowling Green.

Heads it was.

In Owensboro—with three children under 12—Pam completed her degree in Psychology at Brescia College. She then earned a masters and a Rank I teaching certification at Western Kentucky University.

She loved her students, and they loved her back. After substitute teaching at Apollo High and DCHS, she served as the student assistant coordinator for Daviess County Public Schools. In that role, she was a crisis counselor for troubled teens at any time, day or night. At DCHS, she taught AP Psychology, criminology, and personal development. She volunteered as the faculty advisor for Beta Club, Young Republicans, and was also a national AP Psychology test grader. She brought her lessons to life by encouraging free thinking, hosting fascinating guest speakers, and by arranging field trips to the local courts, the local jail, and to the Wendell Foster Center.

She retired from teaching in 2012, having received several teaching awards. Former students routinely sought her out to thank her for gifts of teaching and compassionate counseling. One former student wrote, “you are an inspiration, a blessing, and a mom away from home.” Several years ago, another former student approached Pam and Robert at a local restaurant. After introducing her husband and two children, the student thanked Pam for intervening to save her from ending her life many years before. Pam’s legacy lives on in the hearts of all her students. She loved every one of them.

Pam was a leader in the community and had a special place in her heart for those in need. She launched group counseling sessions for AIDS patients at Trinity Episcopal Church, where she also served on the altar guild. She devoted time to the Mary Kendall Home, Crisis Line, and to other organizations in support of abused women. She was proud of her work with Impact 100 and P.E.O. Sisterhood, both of which supported other women. She also served as president of the ladies’ auxiliary at Southern Little League and was a founding parent of Owensboro Youth Soccer.

On the side, she was also a great baker, known to many for her amazing rum cakes. Her home was a sanctuary to anyone who needed rest, an open ear, or just a hug. And she loved to laugh.

Pam was preceded in death by her parents, her daughter Heather, her sister, Sherry Sharp Earney, and her aunts Louise Yaeger and Elva Friend.

Pam leaves behind Robert Cook, her loving husband of 57 years; her sons Rad Cook (Stephanie), Harper Cook (Mary), and Judson Cook; grandchildren Mackenzie Cook Sharfman (Dillon), Radford Cook (Riley), and William Cook; great-granddaughter Sutton; cousin, Barbara Parks (Jim); nephew Jason Earney (Jennifer), and niece Kristen Earney Baldwin (Brent).

A memorial service will be held at Trinity Episcopal Church, Owensboro, at 11am, February 22, 2025. A private interment will follow in the church’s columbarium. The family will receive visitors after the service at the church.

In lieu of flowers please consider making a gift in Pam’s memory to Hospice & Palliative Care of Western Kentucky, to whom the Cook family extends its deepest gratitude for their care of Pam during her final days.

Messages and condolences for the family of Pam Cook may be shared at www.glenncares.com.