Doreen C. (Cooke) Kana

Doreen C. Kana passed away peacefully at the Van Rensselaer Manor Nursing Home in Troy, NY on January 26, 2020. Prior to entering the nursing home she resided at Coburg Village in Rexford. Doreen was born in Whitehall, New York on August 11, 1931, the middle daughter of Charles E. Cooke, Jr. and Blanche Ayers Cooke. Doreen was predeceased by her older sister, Mary Jean Sartoris Kea, in December 2014. She graduated from Whitehall High School in the Class of 1948 and was third in her class academically. Doreen was a staff member on the school paper and also a cheer leader. Following graduation she entered The Katherine Gibbs Secretarial School in New York City. She graduated the following year and began a career as a secretary with the General Electric Co. in Schenectady, N.Y.  Doreen enjoyed a successful career for six years and retired in 1955 to begin her family career.

Doreen married her best friend, and high school prom date, Charles (Chuck) Kana on February 26,1955 at the Star of the Sea Chapel at the United States Merchant Marine Academy, Kings Point, N.Y. The Kana's spent the early part of their married life living in the Schenectady and East Glenville New York areas except for two years in ldaho where Chuck was on assignment as an employee of the Knolls Atomic Power Laboratory. Lastly, before moving into senior living complexes later in life Doreen and Chuck spent thirteen enjoyable years living in Summer Winds in Saratoga Springs.

Once Doreen's children were all in school she took a part time position as a teacher's aide at the Glenhaven Elementary school in the Burnt Hills School District and later was hired as secretary to Dr. Glen Soellner and the Burnt Hills Music Department. She retired in 1986 after all her children had completed most of their college education. One of Doreen's fondest pleasures in, life was trout fishing with her Dad in Lake George and she always enjoyed visits to the family camp at Hulett's Landing. For recreation Doreen was a frequent participant at the Glenville and Saratogo YMCA’s for aqua exercises, she was an avid bowler for much of her early life and belonged to golf leagues at Eagle Crest and the Saratoga State Park. She has also golfed in England, Bermuda and Hawaii. As a member of a golfing family she was the only one to have scored a hole-in-one. At Coburg Village Doreen won the annual putting contest two years in a row. She also enjoyed playing bridge, double solitary, bocce ball and any kind of board games. She enthusiastically attended her children and grandchildren's sporting events both in high school and college.  Following in her Mother's footsteps Doreen was an avid fan of the New York Mets. She took great pleasure in sharing time with her grandchildren especially during the Holiday season.

Following her husband's retirement in January 1992 the couple spent the winter months in Florida. They also enjoyed their cruise ship tours to Alaska, the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, Scandinavian countries including Russia, the west coast of Mexico, the New England coast and their train trip through the Canadian Rockies. They traveled extensively throughout the United States and visited all but five of the states. They loved their trips to Toronto and London when their daughter's family resided there. Foremost of their travels was to Southeast Asia visiting Hong Kong, Macao, Singapore, Bangkok, Bali and Taiwan.

ln addition to her husband of nearly sixty five years Doreen is survived by three sons Thomas of Colorado Springs, CO, Dr. Stephen (Jean) Kana of Spartanburg, SC, Dr. Daniel (Karen) Kana of Bedford, NH and a daughter Kathleen (Mike) Lombardo of Newtown Square, PA, a sister Joan Thull of Alanta, Georgia, eleven grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian burial will be celebrated at St. Edward the Confessor in Clifton Park, NY on February 1 at 12pm noon followed by a reception at the Vista in Jonesville. Burial will be in the Cooke family plot at Our Lady of Angels Cemetery in Whitehall in the Spring.

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