Dorothy Cook

Dorothy Cook passed away peacefully at home in Trabuco Canyon on January 15, 2016 with her long time companion Mark Cohanan by her side. She was born Janina Dorota Pronaszko in Warsaw, Poland on February 6, 1930 to Stefan and Maria Pronaszko. At age 9 she fled that country with her parents to escape the Nazi occupation. They traveled first to Italy, then to Israel, and finally to Durban, South Africa where she attended grammar school. In 1945 they moved to Montreal, Canada where she attended high school. By 1949 they had moved to Detroit, Michigan where her father was employed as an engineer with Ford Motor Company. After a failed marriage Dorothy moved to California. She worked as an interior decorator for many years at Chandler’s in Pasadena and Santa Ana and at Robinson’s in Newport Beach. She then opened her own business after obtaining a degree in Interior Design from Long Beach State University. Dorothy loved to dance and in 1982 she met Mark Cohanan at the depot in San Juan Capistrano where a jazz band played every Sunday. That became a regular date for them and they made many lifelong friends there. They loved Dixieland and traditional jazz music and traveled to jazz festivals all over the country where they could enjoy music and dancing. Dorothy will be missed by her many friends.