THAXTON – Sarah Frances Joslin Cook left for her heavenly home on February 1, 2021. Born in Batesville, Miss., to Stanford and Lillian Mae Joslin on September 2, 1917, Frances spent her entire life in Thaxton, Mississippi. Known for her green thumb, delicious cakes and loyal friendships, Frances was a strong, independent Southern woman through and through. True to her independent, and some may have said stubborn spirit, Frances remained in the home she and her husband built well into her 103rd year. During her childhood years, Frances worked alongside her parents and siblings on the family dairy farm. She graduated from Thaxton High School in 1936 and worked at the Rivera Shirt Factory in Pontotoc until her retirement. She married Bonnie Ceil Cook in 1944 and had three children. Strong in her faith, Frances attended Union Nazarene Church where she taught Sunday school for 30 years and later attended Watchman Baptist Church in Thaxton. Known as Momma to her three children, Mamaw to her five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren, Aunt Sis to her many nieces and nephews and Mrs. Frances to her beloved friends, she will be missed by everyone who knew her. If you were lucky enough to show up at her house during mealtime, you were certainly in for a treat. She could make a mess of peas, turnip greens and homemade rolls that would always be followed up with something sweet. Frances definitely had a sweet tooth. During holiday dinners, there were as many sweet options as there were savory – a buffet of cakes, pies and her specialty…tea cakes. Her talents went beyond the kitchen though, as her flower and vegetable gardens never lacked in their bounty and beauty. If any varmint dared to enter her gardens, they did not stand a chance of survival. Even at her 100th birthday celebration she was overheard talking about killing a snake with a shovel, a dull shovel at that.
In addition to her parents, Frances was preceded in death by her husband, B.C. Cook; siblings, Malone Joslin, Luther "Babe" Joslin, Bonnie Lou Joslin Lyon; and son-in-law Bobby Ratliff.
Survivors include children; Bobby Cook (Janice), Linda Ratliff and Dorothy Holmes (Donnie). Grandchildren; Christopher Ratliff, Angie Cook, Heather Ratliff Denison (David), Elizabeth Holmes Scheider (Adam) and Adam Holmes. Six great-grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews; and her beloved and loyal neighbor, Sheila Jolly.
A graveside service will be held at Thaxton Cemetery on Wednesday, February 3 at 2 p.m. Brother David Ard will be officiating. Funeral arrangements are being handled by Tutor Funeral Home in Pontotoc. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to your favorite charity or plant something beautiful in the ground, nurture it and watch it grow.
