Camille Sanders Cook's Obituary
Camille Sanders Cook, beloved wife and mother, returned to her Heavenly Father on January 15, 2015, following a courageous battle with early onset Alzheimer’s disease. Camille was born September 26, 1946, the fourth child of Dr. Mervyn Sharp Sanders and Cora Maurine Oldroyd. She grew up on Military Drive in Salt Lake City, playing with her beloved brothers, sister and dog in the gulley near her home and attending local schools, graduating from East High School and the University of Utah with honors in French and music in 1969.
Camille’s life-long passions included her family, her Savior, and her music.
Camille attended junior high and high school with the man who would become the love of her life, Merrill Cook. But the two formally met in their college years, when Camille’s brother, Gill, married Merrill’s sister, Virginia. Camille and Merrill fell in love and married for time and eternity in the Salt Lake LDS Temple on October 24, 1969. They made their first home in Boston, where Camille worked for the Harvard School of Public Health and the First National Bank of Boston while Merrill attended Harvard Business School. Their first two children, Brian and Alison, were born in Boston. The family returned to Salt Lake in 1974 and lived for over 20 years in the Monument Park Stake, where Barbara, David, and Michelle were born. In 1995, they moved to Merrill’s childhood home in the Avenues, where they became members of the Emigration Stake. Camille was completely devoted to her family, always eager to stay up late to help with homework, play board and word games, or complete intricate puzzles. She was also a talented illustrator and loved to draw cartoons filled with stories about dogs and good-hearted monsters for her children and grandchildren. Camille loved great literature and poetry, often including moving passages in her inspired Relief Society lessons. Camille had a particular facility for languages, speaking beautiful French and also insisting—especially among her children—on the proper use of English grammar.
Although she disliked politics, Camille tirelessly supported Merrill’s campaigns, attending rallies and knocking on doors all over Utah. When Merrill served in Congress, Camille shared her musical talents by performing frequently at Congressional venues and the Washington, D.C., Temple Visitors’ Center. She enjoyed several trips during those years with Merrill to Europe and Asia, and was especially moved by participating in a delegation to Israel, where she enjoyed meeting political leaders and seeing the places where Jesus lived and ministered. She sat on the dais at President Clinton’s Inauguration and especially enjoyed attending the ice skating events at the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, Japan. Though Camille appreciated the rich culture of her time in Washington, her heart always remained in Salt Lake City.
Camille devoted her life to her Savior. As a devout member of the LDS Church, she accepted each calling offered her, and especially enjoyed teaching primary, singing with the choir, leading the music as chorister, and teaching wonderful lessons in the Relief Society as a cultural arts instructor. Camille loved the Book of Mormon, and was rarely without her scriptures. She often rose early to study gospel teachings in the quiet of dawn before turning to the demands of an active, noisy household. Throughout her life, she shared her testimony—especially through her virtuous example and her musical expression. Camille came from an exceptionally gifted musical family, and her earliest memories included hearing her parents and siblings perform beautiful harmonies from the great composers. She became an accomplished soprano vocalist at an early age and surrounded herself and those she loved with music, instilling a deep appreciation for opera in her husband and children. Camille performed with the Utah Opera Company, the Salt Lake Opera Theatre, the University of Utah Opera, Pro Musica, the LDS Assembly Hall Concert Series and at many other venues. She received critical acclaim for her roles as Butterfly and Suzuki in Puccini’s Madama Butterfly and for her title role in Mozart’s Suor Angelica. She also played Donna Elvira in Mozart’s Don Giovanni. She loved traveling with her family to attend performances at the famous open-air Santa Fe Opera House, and with Merrill to many other of the world’s great opera houses, including the New York and San Francisco Metropolitan Operas, Milan’s Teatro alla Scala, Vienna’s Opera House, Paris’ Palais Garnier, and the State Opera in Berlin. She taught voice lessons for many years at her Salt Lake studio and home. It brought Camille great joy to encourage many talented students in music and in life.
Camille had a special reverence for all of Heavenly Father’s creations. Like her father, she was a wonderful gardener, tending a gorgeous rose garden and growing beautiful vegetables. She loved to spend Saturdays in her yard, weeding, raking leaves and playing with her dogs. Camille loved animals, and dogs were dear companions from early childhood. After her final pet dog died and Camille’s disease prevented her from caring for another of her own, Camille took special care to befriend neighborhood pets, who loved her dearly and immediately sensed her kindness toward them.
Camille inherited a knack for home improvement projects from her father and loved to tile her own bathrooms, install wood floors, fix her roof and rain gutters, repair sprinkler systems, and build most everything with her hands. Her favorite Mothers’ Day and birthday gifts included power tools and router bits. She also took great delight in helping her cub scout sons to build some of the fastest pinewood derby cars in the neighborhood.
Camille struggled with early onset Alzheimer’s for much of her final decade but retained her bright, loving countenance throughout. She had an especially empathic spirit, connecting instantly with those whom she met from all walks of life, and even to her final days, brightening visibly whenever she was around dear friends, children and dogs.
She is survived by her devoted husband, Merrill, their five children, Brian Merrill (Nipa Cook), Alison (Jeff Ross), Barbara Ann (Glen Crowther), David Michael (Kimber Tillemann-Dick Cook), and Michelle (Thorton G. Bertoli), twelve grandchildren, and brothers Gill and Marc Sanders. Her parents, her sister, Lynne Nelson, and her brother, Jack Sanders, preceded her in death.
Funeral services will be held at Noon on Monday, January 19th, at the Emigration Stake Center, 589 East 18th Avenue, Salt Lake City, Utah. There will be a viewing on Saturday evening, January 17th, from 6 to 9 p.m. at Salt Lake City Hall, 451 South State Street, and another viewing at the Emigration Stake Center from 10:30 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. immediately prior to funeral services. Interment will be at the Salt Lake City Cemetery, Tuesday, January 20th, at Noon.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Utah Alzheimer’s Association.
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