Ivy Sylvia Lucille Cooke (née Tai; 27 June 1916 – 5 June 2017) was a Jamaican educator who was best known as the wife of Sir Howard Cooke, the

Governor-General of Jamaica The governor-general of Jamaica is the viceregal representative of the Jamaican monarch, King Charles III, in Jamaica. The monarch, on the advice of the prime minister, appoints a governor-general as his or her representative in Jamaica. Bot ...

from 1991 to 2006. She was known as Lady Cooke after her husband's knighthood.

Biography

Ivy Sylvia Lucille Tai was the daughter of a "successful merchant" of

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of va ...

descent.When Howard met Ivy...
''

Jamaica Observer ''Jamaica Observer'' is a daily newspaper published in Kingston, Jamaica. The publication is owned by Butch Stewart, who chartered the paper in January 1993 as a competitor to Jamaica's oldest daily paper, ''The Gleaner''. Its founding editor i ...

'', 27 August 2009; retrieved 29 November 2017. She attended the Warsop All-Age School in Trelawny, and then went on to the Bethlehem Teacher Training College. Cooke taught for periods at

Montego Bay High School for Girls Montego Bay High School (also known as Montego Bay High School for Girls) is an all-girls high school in Montego Bay, Saint James Parish, Jamaica, St. James, Jamaica. The school was established in 1935. History 1935-1955 Montego Bay High Schoo ...

(guidance counsellor), Montego Bay Boys' School (assistant principal), and Bell Castle All-Age School (assistant principal and acting principal). She later worked for the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

as a supervisor of teacher colleges and an early childhood education officer. Her husband, Howard Cooke, also trained as a teacher; they married in July 1939, and had three children together – Howard Jr., Richard, and Audrey. After their marriage they initially taught together in a remote community in

Portland Parish Portland, with its capital town Port Antonio, is a parish located on Jamaica's northeast coast. It is situated to the north of St Thomas and to the east of St Mary in Surrey County. It is one of the rural areas of Jamaica, containing part ...

. In 1991, Cooke's husband was appointed Governor-General; he had previously been a

People's National Party The People's National Party (PNP) is a Social democracy, social-democratic List of political parties in Jamaica, political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by independence campaigner Osmond Theodore Fairclough. It holds 14 of the 63 seats in ...

politician. She supervised the running of King's House during his 15-year tenure, and cultivated vegetable gardens on the grounds as well as raising goats, rabbits, cattle, and chickens.Lady Cooke Dies At 100
''

Jamaica Gleaner ''The Gleaner'' is an English-language, morning daily newspaper founded by two brothers, Jacob and Joshua de Cordova on 13 September 1834 in Kingston, Jamaica. Originally called the ''Daily Gleaner'', the name was changed on 7 December 1992 to ' ...

'', 6 June 2017. Retrieved 29 November 2017. She had a particular interest in music, serving as patron of the

Jamaica Independence Festival The Jamaica Independence Festival is a celebration of Jamaica's independence, a status gained in 1962. History The festival was initiated in 1962 by then Minister of Community Development (and later Prime Minister) Edward Seaga, to showcase literar ...

and starting the tradition of annual Christmas concerts at King's House. Cooke was 89 years when her husband left office, and he was 90. They retired to Brandon Hill, in Montego Bay Jamaica, and celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary in 2009. Sir Howard Cooke died in July 2014, aged 98, mere days before the couple's 75th wedding anniversary. Lady Ivy Cooke died in June 2017, 22 days before what would have been her 101st birthday. She was given a

state funeral A state funeral is a public funeral ceremony, observing the strict rules of Etiquette, protocol, held to honour people of national significance. State funerals usually include much pomp and ceremony as well as religious overtones and distinctive ...

, and interred at the

National Heroes Park National Heroes Park (formerly King George VI Memorial Park) is a botanical garden in Kingston, Jamaica. The largest open space in Kingston at 50 acres in size,

in Kingston. Her death was noted in the

Parliament of Jamaica The Parliament of Jamaica is the legislative branch of the government of Jamaica. It consists of three elements: The Crown (represented by the Governor-General), the appointed Senate and the directly elected House of Representatives. The Se ...

, with both Prime Minister

Andrew Holness Andrew Michael Holness, (born 22 July 1972) is a Jamaican politician who has been the Prime Minister of Jamaica since 3 March 2016, following the 2016 Jamaican general election. Holness previously served as prime minister from October 2011 to ...

and Leader of the Opposition

Peter Phillips Peter Mark Andrew Phillips (born 15 November 1977) is a British businessman and the son of Anne, Princess Royal, and Captain Mark Phillips. He is the eldest nephew of King Charles III, and 17th in the line of succession to the British throne. ...

making condolence statements.House Pays Tribute to Lady Cooke
Jamaica Information Service, 14 June 2017; retrieved 29 November 2017.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cooke, Ivy 1916 births 2017 deaths Jamaican people of Chinese descent Jamaican centenarians Spouses of national leaders Jamaican educators Jamaican women Women centenarians Wives of knights