‘Dutiful daughter’: Brown University shooting victim honored during funeral eulogy
The pews at Cathedral Church of the Advent in Birmingham, Alabama, were filled Monday morning for the funeral of a young woman remembered for her "uniquely quiet gravity" during her eulogy.
Ella Cook, 19, a sophomore at Brown University, left a "record of love" in her hometown community in Alabama, as well as on the Providence campus, according to Reverend Doctor Paul Zahl.
Cook is one of two victims of a deadly shooting at Brown University on Dec. 13 that left nine others injured.
"She was a dutiful daughter," Zahl said during the live streamed event. "She had a constantly initiative-taking desire to care and love of her brother, Hooker, and her sister, Mary Hamner.
"Her record of love right here in this community, especially her love of children, is palpable and historic and unique even at the young age in which she established that record," Zahl said.
A Brown University professor, David Skarbek, wrote a letter to Cook's parents, telling them that "Ella was smart, confident, curious, kind, principled, brave. She made a big impact on campus in only three semesters," according to Zahl.
The professor used to tell Cook that the university needed an Alabama to Brown pipeline.
"In fact, her nickname on campus was 'Ellabama,'" Zahl said.
Cook was born July 18, 2006, in Birmingham, Alabama, to Anna and Richard Cook, according to her obituary . Prior to studying at Brown, she graduated from her hometown high school in Mountain Brook, Alabama.
Cook was known for a wide array of interests, including playing piano, dancing, spending time in nature and traveling — especially to places in which French is spoken.
She was particularly passionate about teaching both academic subjects and biblical studies and hoped to one day have children of her own.
Cook was a lifelong, active member of the Cathedral Church of the Advent (Episcopal) in Birmingham. The church's reverend previously described her to AL.com as a "bright light" in the world.
"Not only did her personal faith shine out like a bright Christmas star, but she loved others as real people, not as objects," her obituary reads.
In addition to her parents and two siblings, Cook leaves behind both her maternal and paternal grandparents, many other beloved family members and lots of cherished friends, according to her obituary.
Her family asks that those looking to honor her memory donate to the children's ministry at the Cathedral Church of the Advent, 2017 Sixth Avenue North, Birmingham, AL, 35203.
"Ella carried a kind of personal magic within her, from her quiet smile, to her consistent openness to new challenges and places, to her heartfelt Christian faith, to her kind encouragement of all whom she met who needed encouragement, to her persistent courage in following both heart and conscience," her obituary reads.
Brown University Shooting, Dec. 13, 2025
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