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Kenneth Marlin Cook, Jr.
It is with a shattered heart, the family of Kenneth Marlin Cook, Jr., announces his passing on April 22, 2024 at the age of 74. He will be missed more than any words could ever begin to express.
Ken was born on October 10, 1949 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to Kenneth Marlin Cook, Sr. and Helen Samuels Cook. The family moved to Cedar Rapids, Iowa when Ken was 5 years old. He attended Washington High School and graduated from Coe College in 1971. In 2011, he moved to Arizona with his wife, Gilda, to be near their children who had relocated there. Ken always wanted to retire near the ocean, but moving to the desert was a true testament to his belief that family is more important than anything.
A loving and devoted father, Ken dedicated his entire life to his family. He was a constant source of inspiration, unwavering support, profound wisdom, and genuine love for his family, always putting their needs before his own. Carolyn, Brad, and Lora have the great honor of having Ken as their father, a true role model.
Ken loved being a father, and was absolutely ecstatic when he became a Grandpa aka “Papa”. You would always find him doing whatever it took to make his 3 grandchildren smile and laugh, and ensure they felt loved at every moment. He even nicknamed his van the “Papa Mobile”. Coltyn, Maren, and Hudson love their Papa more than the moon and all the stars in the sky.
Ken had a lengthy, successful career in sales, retiring as Vice President of Sales in 2015. His dedication and passion for his work, and to be an honorable sales person, were evident to all who knew him. He leaves behind a legacy of countless professional accomplishments and awards, including receiving top honors as a President’s Club honoree multiple times, and even winning a trip to the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
Ken’s kindness, generosity, and gentle sense of humor touched the lives of everyone he met. He had a warm smile that could brighten even the darkest days. Even if you didn’t know Ken, he was still making everyone smile by always holding doors for strangers, making the store clerk laugh with a corny Dad joke, putting away the shopping cart for the family with young children, paying for the person’s order in front of him who forgot their wallet, or smiling and waving if he caught your eye across the street. He had a unique way of making even the simplest moments memorable.
Ken is survived by his wife, Gilda, of 43 years, who dedicated every ounce of her being to take the best care of him while he was sick; his daughter Carolyn Spencer; his son Brad Cook (fiance Monica and her son Jonathan), oldest grandson Coltyn and only granddaughter Maren; his daughter Lora Cook Schall (husband Matt) and youngest grandson Hudson. He is also survived by his sister, Linda Peterson in Minnesota, and several extended family members. His beloved Golden Retriever, Maggie, was always by his side and will miss Ken’s chin scratches and sneaking her an extra treat.
Ken was preceded in death by his parents Dr. Kenneth Marlin Cook, Sr. and Helen Cook, who both passed in 2002.
In lieu of flowers, the family would like to ask that donations be made to the Arizona Selah Carefarm in memory of Ken. The non-profit organization helps rescue and rehabilitate animals, and provides families who have lost a loved one a place to heal through animal grief therapy. Ken absolutely adored animals and it would make him so happy to know that a rescued animal is given an opportunity to live its best life at Selah, while also helping individuals through a difficult loss.
Ken will be remembered as a loving father and Papa, a devoted spouse, a respected professional, and a cherished friend. His memory will live on in our hearts forever.
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Peter Larson
What a wonderful obituary for Ken ! Ken was the author of one my first memorable moments of big city living when I first moved to CR in 1963 from Osage (population 3,000 at the time). We were in the same 9th grade speech class with Ms. Schwab and she was a bit of a nervous Nelly. Ken sensed that, as well as most of the class. Our class was on or near the top floor of McKinley Jr. High. One beautiful Spring day, something happened in class that set her off. Next thing I knew, Ken went over to the window and threw up the sash, put one leg outthe window and threatened to jump. Everyone knew he was not going to, except Ms. Schwab. As she pleaded for him to stop, Ken eventually did, knowing he had maybe gone just a bit too far that day.! It sure was funny and still sticks in my mind to this day. Caveat:I am pretty sure it was Ken, but there's always a little margin of error in recollections at this age.
Best description of Ken- an honest salesmen. I followed the same path in sales as Ken did. Everyone appreciates knowing that they are dealing with an honest salesman. That's the person you will always go to when there is a choice of who you can go to the next time.
RIP, Ken. Thanks for the lasting memory.
Russell Collins
I'm really sad to read this posting. Ken was a great guy and that was reflected in his obituary. He had an infectious sense of humor and was a person that truly would give you the shirt off his back. I got to know Ken well in high school as he sometimes subbed into our garage band as guitarist and we shared a mutual interest in the popular music at that time, resulting in some fun impromptu conversations and personal jam sessions. We sort of stayed in touch after one of our class reunions and like many things in life wish I had done that more.
Ken was a person I knew that made a real impression on me and a better person for knowing him.
RIP old friend
Dan Hampton
I am very sorry to hear of Ken's passing. We had communicated during COVID-19, but I had been unable to reach him after 2022. I know that he had experienced some medical issues post-Covid, and I wasn’t able to reach him over the past couple of years.
I knew Ken through junior high baseball where the "Dream Team" was assembled in '63-'64 at Franklin. Besides Ken, the team consisted of Rick Eggleston, Bill Rogers, Steve Criger, Mark Fischer, and Jim Hamer, to name a few. 89 kids at Franklin tried out for 12 positions. The competition to become a starting player was brutal and Ken became our stellar second baseman.
Ken had moved from Pittsburgh in the mid-50s. His father was a Distinguished Professor of Biology at Coe College. They had moved to CR after his father had completed his work with Jonas Salk on the rollout of the Polio vaccine. It is rare when one person or family can have such a monumental impact on the lives of others, but that certainly was the case with Dr. Cook.
Ken and I attended First Lutheran Church on 10th St. S.E. We attended Catechism for two tortuous years with classes held on Wednesday night from 4:30-7:30. Looking back, it would have been easier to have spent time in a "Super Max" than listen to the monotonous and stale lectures by our Pastor, week after week. Fortunately for us, baseball was always on the horizon, in both thought and action, which kept the inordinate time spent in Catechism classes at a barely tolerable level.
As we transitioned to WHS in the fall of ’64, music became a major part of Ken’s life. He left baseball in our sophomore year because Bill Quimby, our coach, didn’t like the length of his hair. He went on to learn and play the guitar and performed for two groups in high school and college (The King Bees and Jerry and the Jesters).
Ken regularly attended our class reunions but having moved to AZ a few years ago, he didn’t return for the last three.
My condolences to his family. Ken was a great guy, and I am saddened by his death. We had so much fun together. My poignant memories of junior high are never complete without Ken.
I will always picture his seamless pivot from second on a double-play ball. He threw it chest high and never made me eat dirt. He was a consummate fielder and a hell of a friend.