Harold Laurence Cook

It is with greatest sorrow announcing the passing of Harold (Larry) Cook, loving husband, father, grandfather, great grandfather, brother, uncle and friend. Born April 24th 1936 as a 4 lbs premature baby, Larry defied all odds and was a survivor from beginning to end. He lived a very eventful life. He started young at the age of 10 working on farms, eventually becoming a trailblazer for the Forest Service maintaining and cleaning trails in the Goat Rocks wilderness area. This allowed him to get into mountaineering, where he climbed Mt. Baker and Mt. St. Helens (before it erupted). He also helped with search and rescue missions, to bring back lost hikers in the wilderness. Then in 1955 he joined the Air Force as an Electronic Radar Technician servicing the F-89 Scorpion and the F-102 Delta Dagger. During his service while stationed in Denver, he would meet the love of his life, Mary, at a Sam's Tavern on Lookout Mt. and it was love at first sight. They would go on to get married in 1958 in Muscatine Iowa. Moving his lovely bride back to the west coast where he was stationed in Everett at Paine Field, they would proceed to have 3 children, Brenda, Lisa and John. With three active children, Larry was in complete dad mode becoming involved in all his kids endeavors. Whether it be, music, sports or building models. As Brenda, Lisa and John grew it was apparent they had athletic ability, Brenda and Lisa excelling in volleyball and John in Baseball. He and Mary would spend countless weekends taking them all over the Northwest to play in tournaments and games. As his children grew and became successful, Larry became a grandfather to six fantastic grandchildren, Calvin, Kasey (Brenda) (Steve), Sarah, Miles (Lisa and Dan), and Josh, Erica (John and Tricia). Larry retired from Western Union after 25 years and a few years after that from the International Air Academy in 1998. In 1999 Larry and Mary packed up their belongings to move from Hazel Dell to Long Beach Washington. Here they immersed themselves into the community, becoming involved in the Senior Center, working with the Lyons Club (where he won a national award), active in the church, we could go on and on. But suffice to say they loved their time there and would spend a healthy retirement for 22 years at the beach. Their family grew even more with great grandchildren, Quinn, Emory (Calvin and Alida), Brooklynn (Josh), and Maddux (Erica and Riley). Until the end, Larry always had a smile on his face supporting his lovely bride, children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. His legacy will live on forever throughout his family tree. In lieu of flowers, please donate to a charity of your choice.

Harold Laurence Cook

April 24, 1936 - July 2, 2023