Raymond L. Cook, Sr.

Raymond Lorien Cook, Sr., retired Air Force Lt. Colonel, 84, of Milton, Florida, died Friday, October 23, 2015. He is survived by his wife, Naomi Whittaker Cook; son Raymond L. Cook, Jr. and wife Pam; daughter, Rita Cook Gibson and her husband, Randall; son, Rusty A. Cook and his wife, Julie, daughter, Robin Cook Couillou and her husband, James; 15 grandchildren and 19 1/2 great-grandchildren.

He was born in Russell, Arkansas, on September 11, 1931. He was the second of eight children. He is also survived by 4 sisters and several nieces and nephews.

Mr. Cook joined the Air Force in 1950 after graduating from Gideon High School in Gideon, Missouri. He met Naomi when he was home on leave from Mill Valley Air Force Base, California. He served four years as an enlisted man.

He subsequently enrolled in the University of Missouri Engineering School and also served in the Air Force Reserves. After graduating with a BS in Engineering in 1958, he and his wife moved to Pensacola, Florida, where his four children were born.

He began working for Gulf Power and continued to serve in the Air Force Reserves. As a Technical Sergeant in Pensacola’s 9976th Air Reserve Squadron, he received his 1st Lieutenant’s bars. He was the third reservist in the Pensacola unit to receive a direct commission.

When his youngest daughter was three month’s old, he was called into active duty during the Cuban crisis. The family then moved to George AF Base in Victorville, California, where he served for a year and a half. He was then transferred to Ellsworth AFB, Rapid City, South Dakota. After serving a year and a half as the base Bio-Medical Engineer, he was released from active duty.

He then accepted a position as an Environmental Engineer with the Environmental Protection Association (EPA) in Washington, D.C. In 1966, he was transferred to the Atlanta office of EPA where he continued to serve in the AF Reserves. On September 11, 1991, he retired from the Air Force as a Lt. Colonel with 39 years, 11 months and 23 days of service –reserve and active duty.

After retiring from EPA, he worked a couple of years as a consultant with PEER Consultants of Washington, D.C. in their Atlanta office. Not long after he left his position with PEER, he and his wife moved to the Pensacola area where they had some property in Milton. He enjoyed fishing, golfing and riding around his property on his tractor.

There will be a full Military Honors service on November 1, 2015, which will be held at Eternal Hills Memory Gardens, 3700 Stone Mountain Highway, Snellville, Georgia 30039 (770-972-3260) on Sunday, November 1, 2015. Visitation will be from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. with services beginning at 3:00 p.m. Bishop Jacob Douglas will be officiating with Mr. Cook’s seven grandsons serving as honorary pall bearers.

The family wished to extend their gratitude to Dr. Joseph Howard and his dedicated staff for their service to Mr. Cook and the family.

Donations may be made in his name to the Peru Mission Fund of Hickory Hammock Baptist Church, 8351 Hickory Hammock Road, Milton, Florida 32583, or to the American Cancer Society, Attn: Donation, P. O. Box 22718, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73123.