Obituary of Edna Flo Cook

Edna Flo Dell Waddell Cook, (Flo), 86, of Herndon, Virginia, passed away on June 17, 2018, in Herndon, Virginia.

Funeral services will be held at Adams-Green Funeral Home on June 22, 2018 at 11 am with Pastor Mark Mullery of Redeeming Grace Church officiating. Burial will follow at Chestnut Grove Cemetery, Herndon, VA. Visitation will be held at Adams-Green Funeral Home on June 21, 2018, from 6 – 8 pm.

Flo, the eighth of twelve children, was born in Hampstead, Maryland, to Albert Klink Dell and Edna Gertrude Giggards Dell on December 1, 1931. She graduated from Manchester High School in 1948. She went on to study Information Security at the National War College while working for the US Government. Flo had several interesting jobs starting at age 14, picking beans for a local farmer to earn money for much-needed dental work.   As a young, single woman, Flo moved to Chicago, IL and worked as a secretary for Popular Mechanics Magazine.  She was a medical transcriptionist for a private doctor in Montclair, NJ.  As a newly-widowed mother, Flo worked as a secretary at Rosewood State Training School in Owings Mills, MD. After her marriage to her second husband, John F. Cook, Flo worked as a civilian for the United States Air Force from 1962 – 1988, rising from a GS3 file clerk to a GS 14 manager of Information Security at Air Force Systems Command (AFSC) on Andrews Air Force Base in Camp Springs, MD. She enjoyed traveling, golfing, bowling, and spending time with her grandchildren. Although Flo received many awards and honors for outstanding performance over the course of her career, she was especially proud of receiving “the best girls’ athlete” award in basketball in high school.  After her retirement from the US Government in 1988, Flo was actively involved in volunteer opportunities at her churches, St Thomas United Methodist Church, in Manassas, VA, and Redeeming Grace Church, in Fairfax, VA.

Flo is survived by her daughter, Sheila Holmes Waddell Gravely of Herndon, VA; grandson, Thomas Joshua Gravely of Centreville, VA; grandson, Jacob Daniel Gravely of Herndon, VA, sisters, Mary Bosley and Esther Yingling of PA, her brother, John Dell of PA; as well as many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her father, Albert Dell; mother Edna Dell; sisters, Lillian Uhler, Ruth Lease, Dorothy Hastings, Anna Vendetta, Violet Black, and June Bumgardner; her brothers, Frank Dell and Melvin Dell;  and her spouses, Stewart Holmes Waddell Jr. and John F. Cook.

Memorial donations may be made to Sanctity of Life Ministries, 10380 Democracy Lane, Fairfax, VA 22030; NK Missions, 10435 Woodbury Knoll Ct, Fairfax, VA 22032; Redeeming Grace Church Benevolence Fund, 5200 Ox Road, Fairfax, VA 22030; or any other charitable organization of your choice.  The family wishes to extend their gratitude to Dr. Kenneth Brooks, Cardiac Care Associates, Reston, VA; the nurses and doctors at Reston Hospital, the caring staff at Dulles Health and Rehabilitation Center, Herndon VA, and our church family at Redeeming Grace Church.