Esther Elizabeth Cook

Our beloved mother and grandmother Esther E. Cook, 86, of Jackson, went home to be with the Lord Jesus Thursday, May 15, 2025, at her home in Jackson, Missouri. Born September 28, 1938, in Randles, Missouri, to the Rev. Hiram Widner and Marie Lee Johnson Smith. Esther was one of eight children. She was a graduate of Buckhorn School near Aquilla, Missouri. Her father pastored the House of Prayer Church in Perkins, Missouri. In 1973, Esther embarked on a career as a school bus driver for Jackson R-2 School District. For 42 years, Esther drove a school bus and monitored children with special needs, and treated hundreds of children just like her own. In 2007, her dedication and deep love for the children earned her the state of Missouri's first annual award for School Bus Driver of the Year. Bus Department Supervisor, Carol Woods once wrote of her, "She is one of the most loving people I know. I try to model myself after her. She seems to always find the good in any child that rides her bus... she will always put another person first before herself. She has spread her love and smile throughout our district. I can truly say Esther makes a difference in each child's life." Supervisor Woods recalled, "There are students on her route that are just simply poor. Over the years she has taken them shopping to buy clothes to make them feel better about themselves or treated them to lunch or paid for their lunch at school. She transported our Wrestling team and one of the boys could not afford to purchase a nice bag like the other wrestlers had, she went out and bought him a bag and gave it to him." In its day, Esther attended and played piano for her father's church in Perkins, and later cared for her mother, making several trips a week to tend to her, driving to Advance after she completed her bus route, as well as the weekends. Esther leaves two children: Kirk Anderson and Scott Anderson both of Jackson; a son-in- law, John Futral of Canton, Georgia; four grandchildren: Lucas Anderson, Matthew Anderson, Brandy Anderson, and Jennifer Frederick of Georgia; nine great-grandchildren: Ethan, Aiden, Waylon, Weston, Isabella, Michaela, Lizzy, Whitney; two great-great-grandchildren; and a sister Margaret Mier of Dexter, Missouri. She was preceded in death by her parents; her daughter, Terry Futral; and seven siblings: James C. Smith, Bobbie Smith, Marie Smith, Ellen Lowe, John Smith, and Hiram Edward Smith, and an infant sibling who had been unnamed. Esther's absence will leave a sadness in the hearts of her entire family until our wonderful reunion with our savior Jesus in Heaven. Visitation is from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Thursday, May 22, 2025, at McCombs Funeral Home and Cremation Center in Jackson. The Rev. Fred Burgard will conduct the funeral service at 12 p.m., Thursday, May 22, at the funeral home. Interment will follow at Russell Heights Cemetery. If considering a memorial contribution, the family suggests St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which Esther was a contributor for many years. Online condolences may be sent to the family by clicking on the tribute wall tab above Esther's obituary article at mccombsfuneralhome.com.