William Riley Cook III

Bill passed away peacefully at Porter Hospice in Centennial, Colorado the morning of January 14, 2023, with his wife at his side, after 3 ½ years working aggressively on his rehab from a stroke in August 2019. Bill was such a strong and caring person. He will be greatly missed.

Bill was born in Cleveland, Ohio, August 25, 1952 to loving parents William Riley Cook, Jr. and Anne Duncan Johnson Cook, both deceased. He is survived by his wife, Joanna Baily Cook, and three sisters: Elizabeth Graham Cook, along with her husband, David Friedman and their two children, Rebecca Friedman and William Friedman; Barbara Duncan Cook of Madison, Wisconsin (formerly Canterbury, New Hampshire); Susan Graham Cook of Madison, Wisconsin, her wife, Karyn Graham, and their daughter, Ana Gabriela Graham Cook.

Bill graduated from Cornell College in Mt. Vernon, Iowa, with a degree in Geology, followed by a master’s degree in Geology completed at the University of Wyoming, in Laramie, Wyoming. Bill worked for many years for Texaco in oil and gas exploration, followed by time with a smaller company, and then many years as a private geology consultant.

Although Bill was a geologist through and through, his life was multifaceted. As a child he excelled in tennis, even shoveling snow off the court so he and a buddy could play. He learned bridge from his parents and became quite competitive, even playing bridge weekly with work friends while at Texaco. Learning to study stocks in order to invest wisely was another facet of Bill learned from his parents; he started several educational investment clubs, one specifically with friends so that his wife could learn also. He always enjoyed classic cars and owned a succession of them including an Alpine Sunbeam, a Volvo P1800 2 seater, and two different Morgans -- a 1995 Morgan 4/4 and then a 2005 Morgan V6 Roadster. His love of the Morgan took him on road trips with the local Morgan Club and also to the Morgan factory in Malvern, England.

Bill and Joanna met while on a canoe trip on the Gunnison River in Colorado and after that organized many group trips on various rivers to float with friends and enjoy the camaraderie under a beautiful sky. Bill’s love of the outdoors included biking, hiking, backpacking and skiing. This love of the outdoors got him organizing trips for many years with friends to backcountry cabins in Colorado.

Bill and Joanna loved to travel and their trips frequently included hiking, biking, canoeing or kayaking, museums, live music, and not-so-live archeology. Some of their favorite places included the Grand Canyon, Canyonlands and Arches, Yellowstone National Park, Maine’s Mt. Desert Island and Acadia National Park, and Alaska. Outside the USA, they enjoyed Canada’s maritime provinces and British Columbia, Norway, France, and Ireland, Scotland, England and Wales. Related to all this travel was a love and appreciation of “artistic design” whether it be in architecture, automobiles, woven rugs, pottery, furniture or the wonders of nature. This was particularly evident in Bill’s design of the beautiful octagonal post-and-beam home we shared for 33 years in the foothills southwest of Denver!

Music was another important part of Bill’s life. CPR Classical was his standard radio station. Attending concerts was a regular activity, whether it be a folk singer or Celtic band at Swallow Hill Music School, a concert by the Denver Brass, a choral group like Canto Deo, or a jazz ensemble at the Evergreen Jazz Festival.

Bill’s life story wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the importance of his faith. He shared the love of Christ through facilitating group Bible studies, outreach through a local food pantry, and supporting in various ways Pura Vida Ministries’ work in building homes and providing education to Mayan children and youth in the highlands of Guatemala.

The depth of Bill’s friendships was evident in his final days, as friends from childhood through college traveled to visit with him, as well as many Denver area friends. His sense of humor was dry, and even into his final days he could make us laugh with his remarks. His chuckles were infectious.

We wish to thank all the wonderful caregivers at Porter Hospice for ensuring Bill's last days were filled with kindness and comfort.

If you wish to honor and remember Bill, please consider a donation to Pura Vida Ministries - the Endowment Fund or any of its programs. We will have a celebration of Bill's life at a later date.