Marlaine A. "Cookie" Jennings
June, 21 1949 – August, 1 2021
Marlaine "Cookie" Jennings of Edmond, OK joined our Lord in Heaven on Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021 after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. She passed away peacefully with her family by her side. She was 72.
Cookie was born in San Antonio, Texas to the late Morris E. Ezell, Jr. and Mary Ezell on June 21, 1949. She was a devoted daughter and sister and a true daddy's girl. She is survived by her loving husband, Russell Jennings of Edmond, daughter, Lisa Hanna of Alexandria, VA and son, Greg Hanna of Oklahoma City, as well as sister Marsha Ward and brother-in-law Kent Ward of Edmond and many other close family members including nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephews whom she loved and adored.
Cookie graduated from Robert E. Lee High School in San Antonio and went on to pursue her degree in Nursing at the University of Texas in Austin. She was a dedicated nurse and loved taking care of everyone around her. She finished her career at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City where she worked for more than 20 years predominately in the operating room.
Cookie met her loving husband Russ in 1995 and they married on her birthday, June 21, 1997 on top of their favorite mountain, Sapphire Point in Dillion, Colorado. Over the years they would enjoy numerous trips to Colorado with family and friends. Cookie was an avid skier, hiker and racquetball player; she loved and embraced anything outdoors, especially on a mountain top. Together Cookie and Russ enjoyed a life many of us often dream of. In the winter of 2003, Cookie and Russ moved to Germany while Russ continued his civilian career with the U.S. Air Force. During that time, Cookie worked with wounded soldiers at the Landstuhl Army Medical Center in the Battle Trauma Registry and later with service women undergoing high risk pregnancies.
When Cookie was diagnosed with cancer in 2017, Russ became her biggest champion. Throughout this time he became an expert researcher and support group leader; her steadfast caregiver until the day she passed.
Cookie was small in size, but lived life in a big way. Always the life of the party, Cookie never met a stranger. She was active in her community – a volunteer at heart and constantly devoted to everyone she loved. She was a life-long animal lover and advocate.
She was a dedicated mother first and foremost. She treasured her kids and embraced every moment with them. She especially loved her role as "Auntie Cookie" to her nieces and nephews. She had a vivacious personality and always made people around her laugh. She made friends everywhere she went and leaves behind a lifetime of friendships.
It would be wrong to say that Cookie lost her battle with cancer, because she never stopped fighting. She was always determined. When anyone else would have broken, Cookie stayed strong. Through her, we know what resilience and perseverance truly look like. There was no one quite like Cookie.
We would like to thank the nurses, doctors and staff at the Integris Hospice House, Integris Cancer Institute, Integris Baptist Medical Center, UC Health, the OU Stephenson Cancer Center and MD Anderson, as well as Joe Tippens and Jane McLelland, for their care and support during Cookie's long and difficult battle.
Services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, Aug 14 at Matthews Funeral Home. 601 S. Kelly Ave, Edmond.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Cookie's name to the BellaSPCA (BellaSPCA.org).
We will be live streaming this service in an effort to accommodate those people that wish to attend but feel they should not due to health regulations. To watch the service CLICK HERE to go to our YouTube page. Click on 'Videos', then 'Live Streams'.