Alice Van Schaik Cook

Alice Cornelia Van Schaik Cook, of Centreville, MD, passed away peacefully on May 25, 2023. She lived a long and full life to the age of 92. She was born December 13, 1930, in Wayne, NJ. Alice was the daughter of the late Leonard and Margaret Van Schaik. She moved with her family to Preston, MD, in 1942, at the age of 12. She graduated from Preston High School in 1948 and from the Easton Memorial School of Nursing in 1951. Alice was a Registered Nurse and enjoyed a long career as an RN. She worked for the Easton Memorial Hospital for many years, and later for the Queen Anne’s County Health Department from 1979 until she retired in 1996. She was very close to her nursing friends, colleagues, and former alumni. She continued to help plan the Easton Memorial School of Nursing reunions until she was 87, and very much enjoyed those relationships. Alice was especially close to her family. Family and close friends are what Alice valued most in life. She grew up in a tight-knit family and was predeceased by her three siblings, Gerard Van Schaik, Lenora V. McElhany, and Mildred V. Fluharty. Her parents, cousins, and immediate family were all Dutch, as her parents moved from the Netherlands to the U.S. as young children. She grew up surrounded by siblings and cousins. She was married in 1957 to the late William Henry Cook, Jr., from Queen Anne’s County. Alice is survived by her two daughters, Linda Ann Cook Wallace (Chuck) and Lisa Ellen Cook Ratnavale. She is also survived by her five grandchildren, Allison Emily Wallace, Gabrielle Elizabeth Wallace, Jillian Louise Ratnavale, Anna Karin Katherine Ratnavale, and William Edward Ratnavale. Alice was a kind woman with a huge heart. She loved to connect to other people and enjoyed laughing and sharing stories. Anyone that knew Alice well, will always remember her contagious laugh. She was very happy living in a small town and thoroughly enjoyed knowing her neighbors. A visitation has been scheduled on Thursday, June 1 from 10-11 a.m., and funeral services will follow at 11 a.m. at the Fellows, Helfenbein & Newnam Funeral Home, P.A. in Centreville. A burial will follow at Woodlawn Memorial Park Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Compass Regional Hospice of Centreville, MD, the American Cancer Society, or a charity of your choice.

Alice Van Schaik Cook

December 13, 1930 - May 25, 2023