HAHarvey Walden
2 days agoMabel Cook, 75, Former Warren County Emergency Manager, Passes Away
Mabel G. Cook, 75 of Phillipsburg, NJ, passed away on Thursday, April 23, 2026, peacefully at her residence to the sound of the morning birds chirping. She was in the presence of her daughter Becky, her grandson, Phil, and a home health aide, Sabine.Mabel was born in Phillipsburg on July 3, 1950. She was the fourth (middle) child of seven born to the late Edward B. and Phyllis [Schlough] Gary of Stewartsville, NJ. Mabel attended grammar school in Stewartsville and graduated from Phillipsburg High School in 1968. Mabel retired from the County of Warren, NJ, where she was an Administrative Assistant for 26 years. During her tenure with Warren County, she worked at the Corrections Center, Emergency Management Department, the Department of Public Safety, the Sheriff’s Office, and was awarded Employee of the Year in 1999. Mabel also worked part-time for the Town of Phillipsburg, NJ. She joined the Phillipsburg Office of Emergency Management in June 1993 as an administrative assistant. In January 1996, she was appointed by former Mayor Corcoran as Deputy Emergency Management Coordinator, a post she held until her passing, serving a total of 33 years with the Phillipsburg Office of Emergency Management. She was instrumental in developing, revising, and updating eight versions of the Town of Phillipsburg's Emergency Operations Plan (EOP). In addition, she assisted in developing the evacuation plans for the Yards Creek and Merrill Creek Reservoirs for the Town of Phillipsburg. She also played a key role in writing and developing Phillipsburg's All Hazards Mitigation Plan and the Continuity of Municipal Government Operations Plan, both for the Town of Phillipsburg. She was also a certified American Red Cross Shelter Manager. In the wake of the 9-1-1 terrorist attacks, Mabel initiated the Department of Homeland Security's Citizen Emergency Response Team (CERT) in Phillipsburg. With her staff of instructors, including her late husband Jim, she trained nearly 400 residents over the years in various phases of emergency response, with the goal of making the everyday citizen an asset during a natural or man-made emergency. In addition, Mabel provided assistance to the Warren County CERT Team through the Warren County Office of Emergency Management.She met her first husband, James T. Waldron, while in grammar school, and they were married in 1971. Her daughter Rebecca Ann was also born in 1971. When that marriage ended, she was a dedicated single mother. During an outing to Walters Park in 1977, she met the love of her life, James H. Cook (Jim), when their children met on the playground. She immediately went from being a single mother to being the mother of two when Jim's son, James Patrick, entered her life. Mabel and Jim married in March of 1978. They were married for 46 wonderful years.Mabel was a dedicated Mama to her children and Grammy to her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who instilled in them the importance of family, hard work, and doing what is right. Mabel excelled at propping up all members of her family and supporting them through the many passions and difficulties of their lives. She made it her mission to improve others' lives.She was a woman of strong faith and was an installed deacon at Stewartsville Presbyterian Church, where she was also a member of their quilting group. Mabel was a passionate seamstress and gardener. And when she wasn’t filling her home with warmth and kindness, she could be found in her garden planting flowers, or in her sewing room working on various projects. She was a strong woman who faced every challenge in her life with courage and dignity. Mabel was also a charitable woman who gave regularly to a multitude of charities.Mabel was predeceased by her parents, her husband, James Hartzell Cook, and her oldest brother Philip E. Gary. She is survived by her daughter, Becky Waldron Hummer, and her husband, R. Wayne of Phillipsburg; her son James P. Cook of Phillipsburg; her grandson, Philip E. Olesh and his wife Brandilee [Steinmetz] of Berlin, Maryland; her granddaughter Tanian J. Hummer of Temple, Texas; her granddaughter Claire Mae Hummer and her fiancé Juan Ramon Gomez of Phillipsburg; her great-grandchildren, Ramon T. Gomez and Honeymae Gomez of Phillipsburg; a sister Kathryn Nuss of Phillipsburg, a brother Robert P. Gary and his wife, Kay of Wind Gap, Pa; a sister Alma J. Rush of Phillipsburg; a sister Jean M. Bradbury of Stewartsville; a sister Esther M. Schoeneberger and her husband Jeff of Nazareth; a former sister-in-law Jody (Gary) Meglic and many nieces and nephewsVisitations will be held on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, from 7 PM to 9 PM at Rupell Funeral Home, 465 Memorial Parkway, Phillipsburg, NJ 08865; Wednesday, April 29, 2026, from 10 AM to 11 AM at Stewartsville Presbyterian Church, 550 North Main Street, Stewartsville, NJ 08886. Funeral Services will be held on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at 11 AM at the church.In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Karen Ann Quinlan Hospice at 99 Sparta Ave., Newton, NJ 07860, Phone: (973) 383-0115 or https://karenannquinlanhospice.org/donate/.
