Betty Cook

Betty Marie (Buckles) Cook, 95, of Martin, South Dakota, passed away August 8, 2026, while in hospice care in Rapid City. Born May 15, 1931, in Martin and raised in Merriman, Nebraska, Betty was the daughter of Frank and Hazel Buckles and spent her life deeply rooted in the community and family that shaped her. Betty was the beloved matriarch of the Joseph Hickman Cook family – but the family she cared for over the span of her life was never defined simply by bloodlines. It included her four sons and their wives, the generations that followed them, everyone's spouses and companions, and countless others who found their way into Betty's life and home. Betty made family larger, not smaller. For nearly 48 years following the death of her beloved husband, Joe, she remained the loving center of her family. She remembered every birthday, anniversary, and graduation; made quilts and jean blankets, delivered Christmas decorations, celebrated joys and helped carry burdens. At Betty's gatherings, there was always another place at the table. Everyone was welcome. Everyone was included. Everyone mattered. Betty made every grandchild feel like the most special one. Her home could also be a refuge. One granddaughter, now in her 40s, remembers it as the one place where in a difficult period of her life where she truly felt safe. She offered unconditional love with life skill boundaries, wisdom without judgment, and the dignity to let people make their own choices while never withdrawing her faith in them. You knew you mattered. That same spirit reached beyond her front door. The Buckles and Cook families have long been woven into the life of Martin and the Sandhills, and Betty faithfully carried forward that tradition of service and generosity. She was a member of the Order of the Eastern Star since 1956 and joined American Legion Auxiliary 240 in 2004. She is remembered as an amazing woman of kindness, joy, and faith. One friend described how she lived her life simply as "the fruit of the Spirit."

 Betty is survived by her four sons (spouses), Joe (Debbie) Cook, Franklin (Linda Langford) Cook, Ken (Nancy) Cook, and Ed (Kathy) Cook, her brother, Jim (wife Carolyn) Buckles, sisters-in-law Loretta Buckles and Wilma Buckles, 30 grandchildren, 42 great-grandchildren, and 5 great-great-grandchildren, and all of the loving members of the Buckles and Cook families. Her legacy is not simply the family she leaves behind, but the family she taught us to be.

Funeral services will be held at 2pm, Thursday, August 13th, at New American Legion, Martin, SD and the interment will follow at Gordon Cemetery, Gordon, NE. The Betty Cook Memorial has been established in lieu flowers for the benefit of the Bennett County Senior Citizens Center and the American Legion Auxiliary 240. Arrangements are made with Chamberlain Chapel, Chadron, NE.