From Dust to Dust and a Lifetime in Between

The book “From Dust to Dust and a Lifetime in Between” is a true Church Stretton life story. Mary Eileen Cooke, or Mollie as her family and friends called her, lived most of her life in the stone cottage on 18 Church Street. She experienced both World Wars, the 1st as a child seeing her father going off to war and coming home with the rank of a captain. During the 2nd World War, both her brothers served in the Royal Air Force, and she sadly lost her first husband. Fortunately enough, she fell in love again, and married William Henry Cooke (Bill) and was blessed with a beautiful daughter whom she loved more than life itself. Cancer came into Mollie’s life when she lost two of her dearly loved family members. Due to her traumatic experiences with this illness, it was an important part of the book to give cancer a “voice”. Mollie, the author’s grandmother, expressed her wish to write down her story, but sadly her dementia did not give her the time to do this herself. Her life story inspired the author, Katherine Anne Lee, to take up professional writing. The story, written from Mollie’s perspective, touches hearts, makes space to feel and puts topics like cancer and dementia in a never seen perspective. It's a time journey starting in the 1920ies and ending 96 years later.