John Robert Cooke

I find the typical scripted obituary to be a bore, so this is my personal farewell. As Frank Sinatra once so aptly put it “And now, the end is near. And so I face the final curtain. My friend I’ll make it clear, I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain. I’ve lived a life that’s full, I’ve traveled each and every highway. And more, much more I did, I did it my way…” If you’re reading this, it’s safe for me to say, “He’s dead, ya know”. For those who knew me well, you’ll know that was my lifelong running joke, so how could I not insert it here? In my lifetime, I had but three goals. The first, was to become Labor Secretary because of my work in Industrial Relations. The second, to become Dean of the Business School at W&M and the third, to be a good husband. It was never for me to say, but I’m hoping I did one out of the three. I have lived a full life, most of which I was fortunate to share with my darling Wife, Barbara. She was always my source of comfort and without fail, supported my dreams and aspirations. I made career changes that lead to many moves. We developed relationships with everyone we met along the way, and had more friends than I could possibly list. Barbara and I did our best with what we had and it is clear in retrospect that the joy was mostly in the doing. The result has been a sense of accomplishment, sheer pleasure and a modicum of security. We were fortunate to have a couple kids, who had their own kids, who had kids of their own. In fact, we won a couple of t-shirts at a high school reunion, just for having so many great-grands. I have enjoyed many of life’s finer things and I never believed in taking things for granted. I can knowingly affirm that I worked hard and earned everything that I had. Being the youngest V.P. at the Bendix Corporation, holding significant positions at Timex & Clark Equipment and enjoying 24 years, as the Owner of my own consulting firm, The London Group. During my time at Bendix, I had the great fortune of being on the Engineering Counsel for the University of Notre Dame, which in turn, lead to my family’s great Love for the Fighting Irish. Retirement was not something I ever truly mastered. I spent years at the Mason School of Business at William & Mary, The Mainers Museum and Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. I saw humor in almost anything and I tended to blurt it out when it hit me. A great tactic for debate and for roasting friends when the opportunity was knocking. Some may say I was wise, and others may say I was wise with a few other choice words. But No One can say that I didn’t embrace the challenges in life and took risks to improve my success. My fondest hope is that those who follow will come to understand, appreciate and cherish the beautiful things we have acquired over our lifetime. Beauty is peaceful and makes conflicts and concerns bearable. To my family and friends, know that I have always loved you and I’ll be keeping an eye on you from above. Go Irish! Yours Eternally, John (aka Snoop, Cookie, Dad, & Papa) A visitation will be Tuesday, July 20 from 6-8PM at Nelsen Funeral Home, 785 Strawberry Plains Rd, Williamsburg. The service will be Wednesday, July 21 at 11AM with the interment to follow at Cedar Grove, 809 S. Henry St., Williamsburg. In lieu of flowers, the Cooke Family asks that donations be made to the Williamsburg Community Foundation to the Ryan Gregory Cooke Memorial Fund, (www.williamsburgcommunityfoundation.org). Online condolences may be shared at www.NelsenWilliamsburg.com.