Barbara Jean (B.J.) Houdek Schmidt Cookson, age 95, died May 23, 2024 at Parkwest Hospital in Knoxville, TN following a short illness.
Barbara Jean Houdek was born on October 5, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio, as the eldest child to Joseph Wenceslaus Houdek Marie Katherine Nutting Houdek. She was named after her beloved grandmother, Barbara Cink Houdek, who was more like a mother than a grandmother to her.
She is preceded in death by her parents, by her first husband Stanley Edward Schmidt, and by her second husband, Wallace (Wally) Merton Cookson. Her sisters and brothers who passed before her are Audrey Joan Glisson, Joseph Robert (Buddy) Houdek, Philip Joseph Houdek, Fr. Francis Houdek, George Houdek, Georgianne Houdek Werner, and Geraldine Houdek Habbyshaw. Her stepdaughter Cristina also preceded her in death.
She is survived by sisters, Joan Houdek Tucker, Harriet Houdek Baranowski, Violet Glisson Gates, and Donna Thies Hollingsworth. Barbara’s marriage to Stanley Schmidt resulted in the birth of her four surviving children, Richard Stanley (Jean) Schmidt, Diana Schmidt, Stanley (Diane) Schmidt Jr., and Joan Patrick (Leticia) Schmidt. She is also survived by stepsons, Ralfe Cookson and Arthur (Mayumi) Cookson, numerous grandchildren, great grandchildren, nieces, and nephews.
Barbara survived a tumultuous childhood during the great depression. She had a very determined personality. One of her biggest regrets is she did not have the opportunity to get a good education as a teenager. Barbara married her husband, Stanley Schmidt, when she was 18 years old. After 25 years of marriage, Stanley died suddenly, and she was left as a widow with two adult children and two teen boys to raise. That is when Barbara found herself in a new direction. At the urging of her daughter, she completed nurses training at Cuyahoga Community College. In 1978, she relocated along with her daughter, Diana, to San Diego, California to live near her niece, Rosemary (Larry) Sagi. Her new job was working for San Diego County as a registered Nurse. She worked at a prison camp taking care of the inmates who sometimes received injuries while cleaning up the side of the highways. She decided to start going by the name of B.J. as a nickname. Wally Cookson met B.J. through a dating service, which led to them sharing a long marriage of 39 years together. B.J. was an avid reader, she loved to exercise, and experimented with recipes to find tasty foods with maximum nutrition. Her retirement years were filled with the love of learning new activities including bocci ball, ceramics, guitar, and piano. Her hobbies included reading, crossword puzzles, gardening, cooking, crocheting, sewing, and fussing over her pedigreed cats. She always kept up with politics, and expressed her regrets that she was not going to be able to vote in the 2024 election. At her request, there will be no funeral services. She will be buried next to her husband Wally Cookson at the East Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery in Knoxville, Tennessee.
Barbara Jean (B.J.) Houdek Schmidt Cookson, age 95, died May 23, 2024 at Parkwest Hospital in Knoxville, TN following a short illness.
Barbara Jean Houdek was born on October 5, 1928, in Cleveland, Ohio, as the eldest child to Joseph Wenceslaus Houdek Marie Katherine Nutting Houdek. She was named after her beloved grandmother, B
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