07/08/2025
After celebrating her 92nd birthday with her family on the weekend of June 21st, in the quiet hours of Tuesday morning, June 24, 2025, Henrietta Lee Dahlstein Cook, 92, transitioned from this life to the next [1] at her home on the family farm near McGirk, Missouri. She departed this life in the same place she lived it: surrounded by the beauty of the natural world, the echoes of family footsteps, and the warmth of a life well-lived.
Henrietta was born on June 21, 1933, in the throes of the Great Depression to John and Edith (Wood) Dahlstein. She was the youngest r sister of Velma, Kay, Jane, Chloe, Raymond, Ed, and Vernon. All of them preceded her in death. Raised during hard times, she developed a strong work ethic, a knack for innovation and imagination, and a deep compassion for family. These became the cornerstones of her life.
She married Stanley Earl Cook on January 17, 1954, in a union marked by 59 years of steadfast devotion and shared purpose. Stanley and Henrietta referred to each other as “soul mates”. They showed genuine love and respect for each other. They faced life as a team, particularly as parents. Throughout their children's formative years, there was very minimal conflict between them observable. Together, they built not only a life, but a legacy of love raising their family on the farm along String Creek, stewarding the land settled by Stanley’s great-grandfather, and working side by side through seasons of change and growth. Henrietta was preceded in death by her beloved Stanley in 2013.
Henrietta worked as a line-of-type operator at the Missouri Baptist Building in Jefferson City before leaving outside employment in 1974 to devote herself fully to farm life. She was a determined force behind the growth of the family business, keeping books, preparing meals, and supporting her husband and sons in a family enterprise of farming and land reclamation.
Henrietta’s life was not only grounded in the work of everyday life; it soared in color and imagination. In later years, she embraced a lifelong dream of painting, studying under renowned artist Bob Byerley and exhibiting her work in juried shows across the Midwest. The subjects of her paintings were varied, but often were of still life such as flowers, arrangements, family heirlooms, and dolls. She particularly enjoyed painting scenes in nature and rural scenes that captured reverence for the past that resonated deeply with her viewers. She earned numerous awards, including “Best of Show” honors, and presented two solo exhibitions at the Elizabeth Rozier Gallery in Jefferson City. Her murals grace the walls of the St. Francis Xavier Church in Taos and the Samaritan Center in Jefferson City. Twenty of her works were purchased for permanent collections by the Jefferson City Medical Group and Production Credit Association.
Her art was her prayer, a form of quiet communion with beauty, memory, and spirit. “When Henrietta is painting,” one artist once wrote, “she is caught up into another dimension. There is no time.” She was also a master gardener, finding joy in growing flowers that graced the farm she loved. She found holiness in ordinary things: sunlight on a porch, old linens passed down, grandchildren’s laughter, and the quiet hush of twilight over the fields.
Henrietta was known for her strong spirituality and was a lifelong member of Lebanon Baptist Church in McGirk. Following a near-death experience in her thirties, her perspective on life and death changed significantly; she often stated that she no longer feared death. Later in life, she also attended Universal Life Church, where she developed meaningful friendships and received substantial support.
She is survived by her three sons and their families: Stanley Jr. and wife Vickie of California, MO; Brent of Solon, IA; and Kent and wife Lori of Columbia, MO. Her legacy lives on in her eight grandchildren: Josh Cook (Jennifer), Jessica (Travis) Heseman, Johnna (Ryan) Schanzmeyer, Augusta (Mike) Malek, Georgia Cook, Harrison Cook, Jordon Cook and Zack Cook, three step grandchildren: Kendall Yarbrough, Monica (Guy) LaMotte, and Devin Cook, six great-grandchildren: Makayla Schanzmeyer, Nola Schanzmeyer, Etta Heseman, Luka Cook, Myla Cook, James Malek, whose lives she followed with unwavering pride and constant love. Her hands stitched, painted, gardened, and comforted. Her heart never stopped giving. Some of her greatest joy and pride came from watching her kids, grandchildren and great grandchildren involved in sports and activities as well as cheering on Mizzou athletics.
Henrietta’s legacy is woven through the generations that follow her: she leaves behind children and grandchildren who carry her spirit of resilience, creativity, and gentle wisdom. Her family fondly recalls her gift for storytelling—her voice, rich with memory, would spin tales of the early days on the farm and the adventures of siblings now gone. These stories became living threads, binding past to present and offering comfort, humor, and perspective in times of difficulty.
A gracious host, Henrietta’s table was always open. She shared not only meals, but also encouragement, lessons in gardening, and the patient guidance of an artist’s hand. Friends and neighbors remember her generosity and her willingness to lend a listening ear or helping hand.
People who knew Henrietta found her both steadying and inspiring, helping others appreciate daily beauty. Her gratitude was palpable; she was quick to celebrate the successes of others and slow to judge their imperfections. Faith, art, nature, and family were the pillars of her existence, each facet reflecting a life lived with remarkable grace and quiet strength.
She departs from both her family and her home, which contains aspects of her heritage and creative work. The multiple generations farmhouse has walls with her paintings and windows overlooking fields and woods where she previously walked and gathered mushrooms.
A celebration of Henrietta’s life will be held at the Lebanon Baptist Church at 10:00 a.m. on July 26, 2025. An inurnment will be held at the family farm on a date to be announced. In lieu of flowers, the family invites donations to Old Lebanon Cemetery Association or the Alzheimer’s Association.
