Tuesday, July 27, 2021
Rita Cook Anderson, 84, passed away July 20, in Wimberley, Texas. She was born Dec. 16, 1936, to Idella Moore Cook and Dr. Vernon Rudolph Cook at the former Sailors, Soldiers and Marines Hospital in San Marcos.
Her lifelong reverence for the waters of Cypress Creek began in the 1940s, when the Cooks were among several families that acquired lots and old cabins on the creek just below the low-water bridge. The 13-mile trip from San Marcos was a real adventure in those days. Descendants of those families occupy the houses still.
Cheering on the Rattlers sports teams was a highlight of life at San Marcos High School; only once was Rita Jean run over by the football team after slipping on a wet field. After studying at Mount Vernon Junior College for women in Washington, D.C. and New Orleans’ Tulane University, Mrs. Rita Cook Anderson graduated with Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in education from the University of Texas at Austin. She taught elementary s