William Cooke

William “Bill” Cooke passed away Sunday, December 3, 2023.  He was born in Chicago, IL to Frederick and Jane Cooke and spent his childhood and early adulthood in the South Side of Chicago. 

Bill joined ROTC while in high school and after two years of junior college he joined the Air Force, serving from 1953 to 1956.  He spent much of his military career working in Germany as a Staff Accountant and used his leave to travel in Europe – the beginning of a long life of travel. 

Upon his return from overseas, he got his degree at the University of Chicago and found a job at the Hartford Insurance Company office in Chicago.  In the early 1960s, he ran into a former coworker in the elevator who said that there was a new department starting at the Home Office in Hartford and that Bill might be perfectly suited for this new venture.  He looked into it and decided it would be an interesting change and moved to Hartford, CT to train as a computer programmer.  He worked at The Hartford in a range of departments until his retirement in 1993 after 33 years at the company. 

Bill joined First Presbyterian Church in 1968 and served in many roles there over the years, including Elder, choir member, and treasurer.  He participated in the church’s annual Strawberry Festival as the cashier for many years.  He also served on boards of other organizations; ecumenical and secular – often as Treasurer.

He married Marian Gepford in 1973 and they moved to Simsbury, CT where they started a family and many new friendships.  They shared a love of travel and took many road trips, from yearly visits to see family in Chicago to cross country journeys to see national parks, as well as international vacations, ranging as far as Australia and New Zealand.

Bill enjoyed music and had a wonderful voice.  He was choir director at Marlboro Church in Chicago, helped direct the choir at First Presbyterian in Hartford, and directed the chorus at Covenant Living in Cromwell, where he and Marian lived for almost 20 years.  He had a broad appreciation of all types of music, especially classical and church music.

Bill and Marian moved to Covenant Living of Cromwell during their retirement where they formed many new friendships and he continued being active and involved in life there including playing cribbage, conducting the chorus, and being involved in internal organizations.

He had a natural curiosity and was always reading and learning about a wide variety of topics.  He was a quiet and introspective man but would speak up when he felt something need to be said.  He was quite eloquent and had a wonderful and gentle sense of humor.  Family was very important to him – he spent a lot of time with his nieces before moving to Connecticut and chose a job that didn’t involve travel so that he could spend more time with his daughter.

Bill was predeceased by his wife Marian, his parents, and his two sisters and brother.  He is survived by his daughter Carolyn Blick as well as several nieces and many great nieces and nephews.

Many thanks to those friends who checked in on him and kept him entertained, especially to George T. Blick.  Also, thanks to his aides Sunita and Mercy who made sure he was well cared for once he was widowed.

Calling Hours will be Friday, December 15, 2023, from 5:00 to 6:00 PM at Cromwell Funeral Home, 506 Main Street, Cromwell. A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, December 16, 2023, at 11:00 AM at First Presbyterian Church, 136 Capitol Avenue, Hartford.  In lieu of flowers, please make donations to First Presbyterian Church or the Covenant Living of Cromwell Benevolent Care Fund, 52 Missionary Road, Cromwell, CT 06416.  To share memories or send condolences to the family, please visit www.doolittlefuneralservice.com.

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