Timothy Bryan Cooke

Timothy (Tim) Bryan Cooke was born June 10, 1964 in Seattle to Charles LeRay and Michael Rae Cooke. He was the first of three children. Wendy Marie Cooke (Miller) was born two and a half years later, and Theodore (Ted) Tyler Cooke was born a year and nine months after that. Tim’s early years were spent in the Rainier Beach neighborhood in Seattle. He lived across from Lindbergh High School in Renton, Washington for a year before moving to the East Renton Hills area, where he stayed throughout high school. During his early years he enjoyed soccer, scouting, camping with family (including Alta Lake with his extended family), fishing in the Cedar River, playing football at Kennedy High School and hanging out with friends.

On July 16, 1980, when Tim was 16 he met Sharon (then 15) and asked her to go steady that day. They were inseparable, fell in love almost immediately, and it only grew stronger with time. They enjoyed high school dances, going to football games, spending time with friends, and being young and in love. On September 1, 1984 when they were 19 and 20, they married in Seattle and honeymooned in Hawaii. They lived in apartments in Renton until they bought their first home in 1990. Although they planned to live in that home for five years, they ended up there for 19 years and mostly raised Gwen and Cedrick there. In 2009 they moved to their last house also in Maple Valley with Gwen, Cedrick, two-year old Davey (who used to call Tim “fixer Unca”) and Tim’s 94 year old Grandma Cooke. They thoroughly enjoyed their time with their growing family. Grandma Cooke passed away in their home in 2011 and shortly after their family was complete when seven year-old Diane moved in with them.

Tim and Sharon took a martial arts class together (AikiJujutsu) where Tim earned his black belt. They enjoyed camping, hiking, daily walks, kayaking, being at the family cabin at Whidbey Island, and going to the Oregon Coast, as well as bigger family vacations to Disney Land, Disney World, and The Royal Tyrrell Dinosaur museum in Alberta, Canada. Tim was famous for his barbecue, especially his steaks. He loved all games, from role playing (D&D etc.) to board and computer games. He went to the Dragon Flight gaming convention nearly every year starting in high school through the last one in 2022. He had a great appreciation for music–Rush being his all time favorite band. He loved sunsets and beautiful views. While on road trips he would often pull over at many of the scenic views (his children did not always share his appreciation for this). He thoroughly enjoyed debating – often about politics, where he always cared about those most in need and was passionate about making sure they were taken care of.

He especially loved and was most proud of his children Gwendolyn Marie and husband Ryan Reed, Cedrick Bryan and wife Landra Cooke, Diane René King Veness, and DaiVonté (Davey) William Veness and his grandchildren Lily Floris Reed and James Ryan Reed. He absolutely treasured spending time with them. Raising children was one of Tim’s biggest joys. He was patient, caring, and accepting, and very involved in their lives. The youngest (baby James) made it very clear that Tim was his favorite person and only wanted him if he were around.

Tim graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Seattle University in 1986. Over the next 10 years, he enjoyed a successful career at Boeing and pursued a Master’s in Software Engineering, also from Seattle University. Tim took the plunge into the tech startup world in 1996, joining Onyx Software, where he eventually rose to the position of Principal Software Development Engineer. During his 11-year tenure, Tim was instrumental in the design and development of Onyx’s flagship products. After Onyx was acquired, Tim moved on to work as a Senior Software Development Engineer / Team Lead at A Place for Mom (2 years), Intellectual Ventures (5 years) and Pharmacy OneSource (5 years). In 2018, Tim joined Visa as a Director in Global Product Management, Risk and Identity Solutions. This marked a major transition for Tim, moving from software engineering to technical product manager. Not surprisingly, Tim excelled in this new role. Tim was also an innovator, earning a US patent for his independent research into managing web search information and recognized for multiple “Technical Innovations” while at Visa.

Throughout his career, Tim earned a reputation for his technical expertise, crafting elegant solutions to complex problems. The ultimate team player, Tim genuinely cared for his fellow colleagues, always willing to lend a helping hand or mentor the new person on the team. He was “the guy you wanted to work with”, as proven by many former coworkers recruiting him to join their new company. Most importantly, Tim was considered a great friend to many.

Tim passed away from a heart attack on December 28, 2022. He had many more chapters to his story that are unfinished. He wanted to retire, to garden, kayak, hike, game, barbecue, see the Grand Canyon and Alaska, and to spend time watching the sunset at the beach with his loved ones. Tim and Sharon have agreed that after they have both left this earth, their souls will meet on the beach by the Whidbey Island cabin, where Sharon has already found some inner peace, and where they hope to continue their journey together. He was loved, cherished, and treasured, and will be missed immeasurably.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Evergreen-Washelli.com for the Cooke family.