Ed Cook April 24, 1945 - September 6, 2023

Ed Cook passed into heaven peacefully with his family surrounding him on Sept 6th, 2023.
Ed was born April 24, 1945 to Wayne and Dollie Cook in Pawnee, Ok. He has one older sister, LaWayne Zemp. He attended grade school in Pawnee and moved to Stillwater, Ok when he was in junior high. He graduated from C. E. Donate High School in Stillwater. Upon graduating high school, he attended the U.S. Naval Academy for one year before returning to Oklahoma, where he attended OSU and graduated with a degree in Hotel and Restaurant Management. He married Elizabeth Every in 1964 and they had three children together: Steven Edward, Robert Michael, and Lannie Michele.
Ed spent almost 20 years in the Naval reserves. He spent many years in the restaurant business in Tallahassee, Florida and Lexington, Kentucky, finally rising to the rank of Regional Vice President of Jerry’s Restaurants where he covered several southern states.
In 1985, the family returned to Piedmont Oklahoma, where he operated Joe’s Café. During this time, God called him to keep a promise he made as a young child to “become a pastor someday“. He attended Phillips University in Enid, where he received his Masters of Divinity degree. He served churches in Cashion Oklahoma, Perry Oklahoma and Tuttle, Oklahoma before retiring from the ministry in 2014. After retirement, Ed sold real estate for a few more years.
A special blessing was caring for many foster infants over the years after Liz retired from nursing.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Wayne Cook and stepmother Rena Cook of Pawnee, mother Dollie Cook from Stillwater and grandson Tony Cook from Lexington, Kentucky. He is survived by his wife of 59 years Liz Cook of Oklahoma City, sister LaWayne Zemp of Topeka Kansas, daughter Melissa and husband David Pillars of Collinsville, Oklahoma; son Steven from Clearwater, Florida; son Robert and wife Amy from Versailles, Kentucky; and daughter Lannie and her husband Greg Sorrels from Oklahoma City. Also surviving are five grandsons: Michael Cook and wife Dina in Charlotte, North Carolina; Christopher Cook in Phoenix, Arizona; Nicholas Cook, Oklahoma City; Jacob DeLoach and wife Alexis in Piedmont; and Ryan Cook in Versailles Kentucky; and great grandchildren: Isabella, Corbin, Euphoria, Atticus, Jacob, and Dallas, and a special bonus granddaughter, Kenzee Sims.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Angels Fosters Family Network are appreciated and can be made here: https://angelsfosterokc.org/one-time-donation/