Sister Phyllis Cook (formerly Sr. Julie Patrice)

We remember with gratitude the life of Sister Phyllis Cook who was a Sister of Notre Dame for 66 years. She died peacefully at Mercy Retirement and Care Center in Oakland, CA, where she was lovingly cared for during the past two years.

Sister Phyllis entered the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur in 1960 after graduating from Bishop O'Dowd High School, Oakland, and attending College of Notre Dame, Belmont. A talented teacher, she served in elementary schools in Campbell, Salinas, Santa Clara, San Jose, and Alameda, as well as in Seahurst WA and Honolulu HI.

In 1981 she responded to a call to be part of a Teacher Training program in Egoji, Kenya, where she explored new teaching methods, learned Kiswahili, and experienced poverty first hand. Returning to the USA after 5 years, she initiated the Writing to Read program at Nativity School in inner-city Los Angeles, and a few years later became principal of nearby St. Columbkille's School, a role she cherished for 11 years. During her time in Los Angeles, she experienced the unrest in the aftermath of the Rodney King verdict. She credited the many years of faithful service of the Sisters in the area for them being able to be effective in the midst of the turmoil.

In 2007 Phyllis returned to Kenya to work with new members, a ministry dear to her heart. She noted that her years there were an especially graced time. Energized by living among those made poor and working with young Kenyan Sisters, she commented, "I am grateful that I was called to become a member of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, an international family. That call is ongoing with ever new horizons."

Returning to California in 2024 due to health concerns, she moved to Mercy Care and Retirement Center in Oakland, where, with a "heart as wide as the world", she continued her warm and generous outreach to others.

Daughter of William and Patricia Cook, she is lovingly remembered by her cousins, Anne Grycz, her friends, former students, and Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated for Sister Phyllis at 11:00am on March 4, 2026 in the Chapel at the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur Province Center, 1520 Ralston Avenue, in Belmont, California. The burial will be held at Santa Clara Mission Cemetery at 2:30pm on March 4, 2026.

Contributions in Sister Phyllis's memory may be made to Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, 1520 Ralston Ave, Belmont, CA 94002, or online at snddeneastwest.org.
For more about her life, go to https://snddeneastwest.org/sisters/phyllis-cook/