Manjula Jesi Cook, 50, a longtime infant teacher at Bright Horizons Family Solutions at EMC2 in Hopkinton, passed away peacefully on March 24 at her home following a lengthy illness.
The Wife of retired journalist Richard P. Cook, she was born in Erode, Tamil Nadu, India, daughter of the late Joseph and Kamalam. She was a graduate of Nirmala College and the University of Madras, and had been a resident of Franklin since 1998.
Prior to coming to America, she was a warden and accountant cum translator for the CSI Boys and Girls Homes in Erode for 17 years. Prior to marriage in 1996, she and her husband established a private sponsorship program for impoverished children called “Manjula’s Children”, with nearly 50 young people benefiting from their efforts. Fifteen sponsored youth have finished college, some with master’s degrees, while another 15 are currently in college.
Manjula and her husband had traveled widely, with many friends here and abroad. She had been the recipient of numerous awards and was a member of the United Methodist Church Choir of Milford for over 5 years. More recently, she attended Church of South India-New England, New England Tamil Church and Boston Tamil church.
Besides her husband, survivors include three brothers, Johnson Nehru of Hosur, Vincent Raj and Babu Christian of Bhavani; four sister-in-laws, Nirmala, Mary, Gnanum and Suganthi; one niece, Sheeba Josephine; and four nephews, Joseph, Jack, Abi and Joshua, all residing in Tamil Nadu, India.
Relatives and friends are invited to attend her calling hours Monday, March 26, 2007 from 5 – 8 PM at the Charles F. Oteri & Son Franklin Funeral Home, 33 Cottage Street, www.franklinfuneral.com. A graveside funeral service will be held, Saturday, March 31st, at 11:00 AM at the Cook family lot in Union Street Cemetery, Franklin. All are welcome to attend.