Born in Burton, NE on Feb. 16, 1922 to Perry and Fern Cook. He passed away peacefully on Nov. 4th. Bill was raised on the farm where he learned the value of hard work and lending a helping hand to other farmers in their time of need. He experienced the devastation of the Great Depression and it stayed with him in many decisions in his life. At the age of 18, he came to California to start his construction career with his uncle. When WW II broke out, Bill was drafted into the U.S. Army and ended up in the 50th Medical Battalion in the 1st Army. He participated in the invasion of Normandy on D-Day, Battle of the Bulge, and the liberation of France. Before departing overseas, he married Myrna Loos and has been married 70 years. After the war, he again settled in Sacramento and pursued his passion of construction. He was a Superintendant of Construction for Erickson Construction Co. for many years and built several area shopping centers, remodeled the Crest Theater and built the Greek Orthodox Church on Alhambra Blvd. He was extremely proud to be the builder of the dome shaped Bethel Temple Church on Howe Ave. In 1966 he became a partner in construction and development with Marvin 'Buz' Oates and they had many years of success building warehouses, medical buildings and roller skating rinks. They also purchased and remodeled the Elks Temple in downtown Sacramento. Bill was proud of his service to his country in WW II and his construction career. He was the only son with sisters, Beatrice Lewis, Rosalie Hartman and Caroline Hoskins. He is survived by his wife, Myrna; sons, Jerry (Carmen), Gene (Mary), and Ron (Gail). He also has several grandchildren and great-grandchildren. A viewing will be held at Nicoletti, Culjis & Herberger Funeral Home, 5401 Folsom Blvd. on Monday, Nov. 12th from 4:00 to 7:00 P.M. Private family services will be held at a later date. Memorial donations may be made to the Red Cross or the Dream Center, 1516 C St, Sacramento, CA 95814
SHARE OBITUARYSHARE
v.1.11.5