James William Cook

James William Cook, 92 years old, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, July 28th in Toms River, New Jersey. He was born on August 6, 1931 in Newark, New Jersey. James was a devout Catholic and a lifelong resident of New Jersey. James came from humble beginnings and was raised by his single mother, Julia, in the projects of Newark. Julia called James her “buddy” throughout his childhood and called him “bud” as an adult. Growing up during the depression, he aspired for a better life for him and his mother and did so through pursuing higher education. He graduated from Newark College of Engineering in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering. While working in his field, he earned a Master of Science in Mechanical Engineering and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering.

In 1962, James attended a social function where he met the love of his life, Gloria Faye Yannuzziello. They got married one year later on April 27, 1963. After many years of working as an engineer, he decided to pursue his lifelong dream of becoming an attorney. James attended Seton Hall Law School while working full-time, driving from East Windsor to Newark four nights a week for five years, and finally graduating with a Doctor of Jurisprudence. He passed the bar exam and officially become an attorney in 1980. Real estate law was his practice of choice and continued to practice after he retired from Lockheed Martin. This achievement was only possible because of the continued love and support from his wife, Gloria, who was raising three daughters, maintaining the household, and taking care of extended family members.

Highlights from James’ Career:

* He helped build aerospace satellites while working for General Electric (Lockheed Martin). The satellites are still in orbit.

* He joined a tax group with fellow Greenbriar Woodlands residents to help institute a law for a property tax freeze for residents of New Jersey 65 and over. The law went into effect in 1997.

He absolutely loved telling jokes to connect with others and make them smile. He got the most laughs from his “parrot” joke.

James is survived by his devoted wife, Gloria, his three loving daughters Lisa Brown (Joel), Linda Devenney (Jeff), and Christina Ross (Michael), and his five beloved grandchildren, Justin and Kaitlyn Brown, Ryan and Kevin Devenney, and Zachary Ross. James had a special bond with each of his grandchildren. He valued higher education because of the ways it positively changed his life. Thus, he was immensely proud of his only granddaughter's achievement of Phi Beta Kappa during her undergraduate career at The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). He bragged to family, friends, and strangers, emphasizing that throughout all his years in school and career, he never met a Phi Beta Kappa.

His career took him all over the world but at home with his wife and kids was his favorite place to be.

All are invited to a memorial mass to celebrate the life of James William Cook at St. Luke’s Roman Catholic Church, 1674 Old Freehold Road, Toms River, NJ, on Monday, August 5 at 10:30am. Burial is private. In his memory, in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to his two favorite charities, St. Jude's and American Cancer Society.