Brian J Cooke

4/24/2012

Brian J. Cooke, age 54 of Wayne, died on Tuesday, April 24, 2012.

Brian was co-owner and operator of N.J. Valley Amusements and had worked with the company since he was a young boy. He would throw a fit if his father went to work without him and by the time he was five or six years old, he knew his way around New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania and Connecticut to all the carnival locations. He used to love riding in the truck with his dad, and they grew very close over the years; they were best friends. As Brian got older, he became an outstanding truck driver and he could maneuver the carnival rides into narrow alleys and New York City streets like nobody else. Having worked ever since he was a kid, Brian developed a very strong work ethic. There was always something to be fixed or assembled. Brian was the best at figuring things out. Most of the time, he didn’t even need a manual – he could just look at the parts and figure out how it was supposed to go together. He was a fantastic welder, mechanic, electrician, and really knew his stuff. Everybody else would call Brian if they had a problem, because he always knew how to fix it, or he could sure figure it out.

Brian was also an excellent cook. He loved to make holiday dinners and Thanksgiving was his favorite. He made the best eggplant rollatini and one of his specialties was chocolate pudding. He never used anything but My*T*Fine pudding mix because that’s what his mom always used.

Brian met his wife Judi (nee Pine) when she was just fourteen years old. She had a crush on him and decided to write an article about him for a school project. Their paths took different directions however, and it wasn’t until many years later that they got together and then married in 1994. They have enjoyed eighteen years of marriage together.

Brian is survived by his wife Judi of Wayne, his daughter Jennifer Jones of Piscataway, NJ, and his son Brian Dela Barrera of Wayne, and the late William Cooke, his granddaughter Destiny, his mother; Edith Cooke and the late William R. Cooke of Wayne, his brothers and sisters: William Cooke of Toms River, the late Robert Cooke and his wife Donna of Wayne, Honeybun Cooke-Miller and the late Sam of Wayne, Gary Cooke of Wayne, the late Linda Cooke of Wayne, Nancy Spetz and her husband Charles of Oak Ridge, Marilyn Gabriel and the late Albert of Wayne, John Cooke of Wayne, Jennifer Cooke and her fiancé Jeff Militello of Wayne, nieces and nephews; Vanessa, Terrance, Juliette, Donna, Gabe, Aimee, Sean, Katie, Meghan, Natalie, Albert, Baby Natalie, Nicholas, Edie, Linda, Nancy, Heidi, Charlie, Sara, John, Steven, Gwendolyn, Kim, Alexa, and Lily, and loved very much his sisters two puppies; Diesel and Duallyette, as well as many aunts, uncles, and dear friends.

Friends may visit with the family at the Vander May Wayne Colonial Funeral Home, 567 Ratzer Road, Wayne, on Sunday April 29, 2012 from 2-4 & 7-9 PM. Funeral Services will be held at 9 AM on Monday from the funeral home, then to Our Lady of the Valley RC Church, Valley Road in Wayne, where at 10 AM a Funeral Mass will be offered.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Foundation for the Handicapped, 30 Woodridge Terrace, Wayne, NJ 07470 or ALS TDI, 215 First Street, Cambridge, MA 02142.



A Happy Ending

When the show on earth is over and the Master says "time to go, the angels here in heaven are waiting for your show," we must go on as He beckons, we must quickly slough and fly, for He knows our show is needed for His children in the sky.

Yes, there'll be carnivals in heaven, with bright lights and fun galore, and the organ will sound sweeter than you've ever heard before. There'll be Eli wheels and scramblers, merry go rounds for wee ones too. God, Himself, the supervisor, and we Carny folks the crew.

The angels on the "Jinny" ride playing music pure and sweet for the cherubs on the horses galloping round on wooden feet. There'll be popcorn and cotton candy, with just a deeper pink, perhaps a little sweeter since it's made in heaven, don't you think?

The "jump" from earth to heaven will be the grandest one of all, without a single breakdown, with no truck motor to stall. So let's make the show a good one, while here on earth we dwell, so when we set it up in heaven, God will say: "A job done well."