On June 23rd 2024, Helen Hoock passed away peacefully looking out at the lake from her favorite chair on the 67th anniversary of her marriage to the love of her life, William Carl Hoock. Helen was surrounded by her extended family as they had all gathered to celebrate both their anniversary and the college graduation of their granddaughter, Gabriela. Helen was born on April 18th 1935 and grew up in Hempstead, Long Island in NY. She joined her brothers, Alison White Brown Jr and Robert…Brown to attend Antioch College’s work-study program which placed her in Chicago when her father’s death ended her studies. In November 1956 she met and fell in love with her husband Bill, and they were married 7 months later at the University of Chicago. Helen and Bill raised their two children, Jennifer Lynn Hoock and Thomas Carl Hoock, and resided for 63 years in Miller Beach, Indiana while pursuing their life-long passion as educators. While raising her young family, Helen was active in the League of Women Voters and cofounded an environmental action association, CARP (Community Action to Reverse Pollution https://cra.sitehost.iu.edu/cra_records/cra099.shtml), with her closest friend, Naomi Stern, to help protect Lake Michigan and the Indiana dunes that she loved so much. Besides her family, she found her greatest joy in teaching kindergarten/first grade at Chrisman Elementary School in Portage Indiana where she continued to run a publishing center for the children’s stories until 2018. Helen is survived by her husband Bill, her children Jennifer and Thomas, and her five grandchildren Benjamin, Alexander, Joshua, Gabriela and Ethan, and her brother Steven Brown. A celebration of her life will take place in Miller at some point in the future. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Save the Dunes which continues stewardship of the Indiana dunes or Guatemala Village Health, a non-profit organization with a mission to improve health in remote Mayan villages in Guatemala cofounded by Helen’s daughter, Jennifer.
