| Graduation Year | Class of 1989 |
| Date of Passing | Jul 21, 2017 |
| About | Donald Carter Cook Jr. was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility. Don was born on January 12, 1970 at Saint Mary Mercy Hospital in Gary, Indiana. His parents were Don and Kathy Cook. Don was raised in Hobart, Indiana. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life. Don was raised with six siblings. He had Ron, John, Ryan, Rita, Missy and Anita. Don was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Don and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Don was always consistently loyal to his family. As a young child, Don was never someone who needed to be the center of attention however he did have a unique sense of humor . He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Don developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Don took part in football, baseball, and basketball. He liked riding bikes with his Tin City Crew, and playing the air drums in his air band. Don's memorable achievements included being elected for class clown. However, what Don enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends. While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Don as not being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He graduated from River Forest High School in 1989. He enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. His favorite class in high school was gym. The teachers he enjoyed learning from the most was Mr. Richards and Miss Major. Honor roll student, kind student and best friend to everyone. Don was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Don always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him. College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Don handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Don was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that would have often bogged down his classmates. Don was able to read the material and retain the information. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Don well during his college experience. He earned his Bachelor Degree in Business. His favorite courses were Business Management and Statistics. Always considered to be a solid friend, Don was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Don was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Don to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Paul, Jeff, Mark, Tim, and Steve. Later in life, he became friends with J. P., Aaron, Tony, and Danny. Compassionate and devoted to Rachel, Don held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Rachel and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy. Don brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Don was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Don was blessed with two daughters, Elizabeth and Chloe. Don greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Don enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Don was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was in Construction Sales. He was employed by Penhall Company. Don worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done. Don was an Air Force Veteran. He was in the 93 BMV Aircrew Life Support from Dec.1989- Nov.1992. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of Senior Airman. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Don seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country. Don liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Don always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were golf, art, and collecting sports memorabilia. Don was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others. Don found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. In high school, Don played football and baseball. Recreational sports included golf. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were golf, football and baseball. His favorite teams were the Chicago White Sox and the Chicago Bears. Don enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Don appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Don always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included golfing in Mesquite every year and theme parks all over the US. Don was a lover of animals and cherished his pets. One of Don’s favorites was Stewie, a Basset Hound. They were best friends for Ten years. His family was rounded out by his cat Max. Donald Carter Cook Jr. passed away on July 21, 2017 at Mountain View Hospital in Las Vegas NV. After succumbing to a Heart Attack. He is survived by his wife Rachel and two daughters Elizabeth and Chloe. Services were held at Palm Mortuary. Don was laid to rest in the Veteran's Cemetery in Boulder City, NV. Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Donald Carter Cook Jr. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved. |
