Walta Nell Pippen Cooke

Funeral services for Walta Nell Pippen Cooke of Carthage will be held at Central Baptist Church on Saturday, July 18 at 10:00 AM with Pastor Brandon Harrington and Reverend Steve Jackson officiating and music by David Yarbrough. Interment will follow at Restland Memorial Park Cemetery. The family will receive friends Friday, July 17 from 5 to 7 PM at Jimerson-Lipsey Funeral Home.

Walta was born to Billy Burt and Eula Heaton Pippen on October 18, 1940, in Shreveport, Louisiana. She was a lifelong resident of Carthage where she met her high school sweetheart, John William Cooke II. They married on December 20, 1958 beginning a remarkable partnership that spanned more than sixty years. Together they built not only a family and a successful business, but also a life dedicated to serving their community.

Walta graduated from Carthage High School before attending Baylor University, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education in 1963. Following her graduation from Baylor, Walta returned home to Carthage, where she assisted in the operations of Pippen Motor Company, founded by her parents in 1951. She served for decades as secretary-treasurer and co-owner, helping guide the company alongside her husband. Following her husband’s death in 2020, Walta continued to lead the company as president and co-owner.

Together, Walta and John also managed tree farming operations across Panola County. Their commitment to forestry earned them the distinction of Texas Outstanding Tree Farmers of the Year in 2007 and recognition as finalists for the Southern Regional Tree Farmer of the Year.

Throughout her life, Walta believed that leadership was an act of service. She was a faithful lifelong member of Central Baptist Church, where she served as pianist for the Sanctuary Choir for forty years.

In 1995, she was appointed by Governor George W. Bush to the Sabine River Authority of Texas Board of Directors, where she later served as President of the Board. She also served on the Toledo Bend Joint Project Advisory Committee and the North East Texas Regional Mobility Authority Board for 10 years. In 2001, she was appointed to serve on the first East Texas Council of Governments Groundwater Conservation District Task Force.

Locally, she served three terms on the Carthage City Commission and on the Carthage Economic Development Board. Additionally, she was elected to the Panola County Appraisal District Board. She served on the Panola County Heritage Foundation, the Panola County Chamber of Commerce, and was a founding board member of the Carthage ISD Education Foundation and the Footprints in the Sand Foundation. She was also a longtime member and past president of the Carthage Book Club, the oldest civic organization in Panola County. In recognition of her leadership and lifelong service, she, together with her husband, was named a Carthage ISD Distinguished Alumni in 2008 and Panola County Citizens of the Year in 2010. Whether in business, government, education, or her church, she devoted her time and talents to making Carthage and Panola County stronger for future generations.

Walta will be remembered not for the offices she held or the many ways she served, but for her kindness, grace, and unwavering faith. She believed deeply in investing in her family, her church, and her community.

She is survived by her daughter, Cheryl Pippen Cooke Williams; her son, John William Cooke III and wife, Tonya; granddaughters Cathy Williams Wall and husband Jason, Jessica Williams Pace and husband Michael, Ali Cooke Smith and husband Brandon, and Caroline Paige Cooke; and her beloved great-grandchildren, Bryce Burton Farmer, Elizabeth Grace Wall, Jackson Ross Wall, Sarina Nell Pace, Annabella Marie Wall, and Sawyer William Pace.

Pallbearers will be Bryce Farmer, Michael Pace, Brandon Smith, Jackson Wall, Jason Wall, and Stephen Williams. Honorary pallbearers will be Will Blackwell, Dwain Brady, Harlan Hall, Chester Mills, Lynn Vincent, and Travis Wall.

The family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to her caregivers Sandra Adams, Ruby Carter, Gale Matlock, JoAnn Rhodes, Accentcare, and Heartsway Hospice. The family would also like to express their gratitude for the kind and compassionate care given to her by Dr. William Haynie, and his precious nurse, Korie Faust.

Memorials may be made to Central Baptist Church, Footprints in the Sand, or another charity that reflects Walta's lifelong devotion to faith, education, and community service.