A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday December 12th, 2018 at Howe Mortuary, 439 Coffman St., Longmont.
For 34 years, Bob was the circulation manager and Vice President for the Longmont Daily Times-Call newspaper.
Bob’s successful career in newspaper circulation management began at age 16 when he distributed newspapers at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri.
Bob worked for the St. Louis Post Dispatch and for The Denver Post where he worked in distribution in northern Colorado, southern Wyoming and Nebraska.
In 1962, Bob began working with the Times-Call where he became circulation manager and later Vice President. His work also included supervising newspaper home delivery for the Loveland Daily Reporter-Herald and the Canon City Daily Record.
In addition to sales, service and collections, Bob supervised the inserting area of the newspapers. Under Bob’s leadership the newspapers reached new heights in the number of subscribers.
Bob was active in many community activities including the annual Sunrise Stampede benefitting the St. Vrain Valley School District and the annual Hunger Hurts the Whole Community food drive.
Bob was a participant in many area parades while driving one of two the antique fire trucks that Ed Lehman, Bob and Jim Mitton restored and maintained.
Bob was born December 8, 1930 to Alfred and Elsie (Ladwig) Cook in Springfield, Missouri. Bob’s father was a successful businessman who also owned and operated a gas station on the famous Route 66 in Missouri. His father was also the first mayor of Doolittle, Missouri, named after the heroic General Doolittle.
At the age of 16, his father passed away forcing Bob to work full time in order to keep the family home and pay for his sister’s college education.
Although his early years were spent in Missouri, Bob was a descendent of an early Colorado mining family from the gold rush days of 1860 in the small Boulder County mountain towns of Crisman, Gold Hill and Salina. Bob’s Great Great Grandfather was the 4th sheriff of Boulder County.
Bob served his country in the Army National Guard in Missouri, Nebraska and Colorado from 1950 to 1956 during the Korean War.
Bob and his wife, Melba Jean (Sisk), recently celebrated 66 years of marriage. They were married November 14, 1952 in Newburg, Missouri.
Bob was preceded in death by his parents and his brothers, James Cook and Thomas Cook, and his sister, Mary Jane Giddens.
Bob is survived by his wife Melba Jean of Hygiene, son Dennis Cook and his partner Janet Anderson of Hygiene, daughter Catherine Cook and her husband Jim Cook of Longmont, and son Jon Cook of Hygiene.
Bob is also survived by his six grandchildren, Andrew (Kate), Patrick, Sally, Anna, Trevor, and Addie.
When he retired from the newspaper in 1996 an article about Bob in the Times-Call by Lea Flanders included this sentence, “His greatest pride has been watching his carriers go on to successful careers. Those include a top salesman for Hewlett-Packard, successful real estate agents and business owners.”
Bob loved to talk with people and to share stories. Bob was an excellent skier who enjoyed the sport with family and friends, Al and Nancy Dworak, and Pat and Lynda Cavanaugh. His favorite ski areas were Snowmass and Copper Mountain.
Memorial contributions in care of Howe Mortuary are suggested to the Ed and Ruth Lehman YMCA of Longmont or the Longmont Humane Society.
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