LONGMONT, Colo. — Wallace Bradley “Brad” Cook died in his quiet, sun-filled room at the memory care center in Longmont, Colorado April 8, 2022. After a long battle with dementia and rapid decline after a bad fall, Brad was content to listen to Johnny Cash and Dolly Parton playing softly in the background and slip gently away as loved ones sat by his bed. He proudly celebrated his 90th birthday a couple of weeks earlier with fish and chips at a local restaurant.
Brad was born in Livermore March 19, 1932. He was the sixth child born to James Robert Cook and Grace Bell Harris. He was the last survivor of eight Cook siblings. After graduating from Livermore High School, he enlisted in the United States Air Force and jumped into his life-long dream of seeing how far hard work and education would take him. In November of 1951, he married his high school sweetheart, JoAnna Shultz, and they began their 48-year adventure together. After an honorary discharge from the Air Force, Brad began his long career with the Federal Aviation Administration. Brad and JoAnna welcomed their daughter Christine in 1953. Their second child, David Bradley, was born eleven years later. The family moved over 35 times and lived in seven different states. After a rewarding career with the FAA, Brad retired from the Memphis Center and returned to Kentucky to become a Gentleman Farmer. He and JoAnna designed and built their retirement home just outside of Livermore where they raised calves and chickens, strawberries, sweet corn, and roses. Brad loved his family, stubborn cows, basketball, drinking Dr. Pepper, and poems that rhymed.
After losing JoAnna to ovarian cancer Brad was fortunate to rekindle his friendship with another member of his high school graduation class, Annetta Jarvis Hoover. They married and enjoyed twenty years together in the beautiful hills of Las Cruces, New Mexico. He and Annetta welcomed many guests who traveled through the region and Brad learned to grow flowers in the desert. As Brad worked his way to his 90th birthday people would ask his advice on how to live a long and happy life. His answer, “Smile! It’s the second-best thing you can do with your lips.”
Brad was preceded in death by his parents and seven siblings, as well as his first wife, JoAnna.
Surviving is his second wife, Annetta Hoover of Las Cruces; stepdaughter, Debbie Hoover Edwards; and stepson, Jeff Hoover, and his wife, Bonnie. Also surviving are his daughter, Christine Hersey, her husband, Warner, and their children, Lindsey and Jordan, his wife, Katie, and great-grandsons, Wesley and Parker; as well as his son, David Cook, and grandchildren, Emily, Benjamin, and JoAnna. Brad is also survived by a large extended family of Shultz siblings, Cook nieces and nephews, close friends, and well-met acquaintances.
A private memorial service took place in Las Cruces, New Mexico May 13. Inurnment will take place at Pleasant Hope General Baptist Cemetery in Calhoun, at 10 a.m. June 11, 2022. There will be a memorial and reception following at 11 a.m. at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church Fellowship Hall in Livermore.
Instead of flowers, Brad would have encouraged us all to plant tomatoes and okra and share the bounty with everyone around. If donations in his honor need to be made, please give to the charity of your choice. He was well served and comforted by the AltaVita Memory Care Centre and Bristol Hospice both in Longmont, Colorado.