Cook, William R. (Bill)

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Category: Obituaries

Published on Sunday, March 03, 2013 14:55

Written by NRVNews

William R. (Bill) Cook, 82, of Daleville, Va., and formerly of Blacksburg, Va., passed away on Sunday, February 3, 2013. He was born on May 4, 1930, in Roanoke, Va., to the late Russell Henry Cook and Sue Wynn Cook. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his much admired older brother, Russell H. Cook Jr. He is lovingly remembered by his dear and adored wife, Elizabeth P. "Betty" Cook; and his children, Sue Cook Rinker and her husband, Dave, of Penn Laird, Va., William R. "Bo" Cook Jr. and his wife, Fran, of Apex, N.C., and Philip F. Cook and his wife, Sharon, of Mooresville, N.C. He is also survived by his older sister, Mildred C. Jofko, of Roanoke; his brother, Samuel L. Cook, of Roswell, Ga.; and his younger sister, Sally L. Cook, of Chapel Hill, N.C. His grandchildren, Mark and Kevin Rinker, Tyler Cook and Carson and Paige Cook, will greatly miss their "Paw Paw." Bill, aka "Billy Bob," grew up in Roanoke, Va., and was a proud graduate of Jefferson High School. He was always delighted to refer to his hometown as the "Star City" and spoke very fondly of his early years growing up in Roanoke. One of his most treasured memories as a kid was his introduction to the now famous Roanoke eatery where his only order was "give me a bowl and two with;" The Texas Tavern lost a dedicated longtime patron. After graduating from Jefferson High School he began the next phase in his life by enrolling at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. While attending VPI, he was able to intern during his summer months as an assistant city manager for the City of Roanoke. He quickly developed a sincere interest in local government management and his studies at VPI followed this interest. He graduated from VPI in 1952 with a BS degree in Business Administration-Public Administration Option. After graduating from VPI he proudly served in the United States Army during the Korean War. He was honorably discharged in 1954 and began to plan his career path. At the beginning of this journey, he was able to secure a scholarship for graduate studies to the University of Pennsylvania. He enrolled in the governmental studies curriculum which allowed him to gain a more intense understanding of local governmental matters and operations. He graduated in 1956 with a Masters of Science degree in Governmental Administration. His first job after receiving his education was an assistant city manager for the City of Greensboro, N.C. It was during his time here that he was introduced to his future wife whom he married on July 19, 1958. After spending several years in Greensboro gaining real world experience in a manager's role he left in 1959 to accept the position of Town Manager for the Town of Abingdon, Va. He spent 10 years in this role before moving on in 1969 to Blacksburg, Va., where he accepted the job as Town Manager. He held special memories for these two localities with Abingdon being his first manager's role and Blacksburg being the town of his alma mater. In 1976 he left Blacksburg and over the next 16 years served as city manager for Petersburg, Va., Kingsport, Tenn., Greenville, Texas, and St. Cloud, Fla. In 1992 after 36 years of local government service he decided that it was time to retire. His retirement led him back to Blacksburg where he continued to be a proud Hokie. He was a member of the Hokie Club since 1969 and enjoyed the atmosphere that Virginia Tech had to offer. He served on the board of the VPI-Blacksburg Sanitation Authority for many years and enjoyed being able to still contribute to public service while retired. He was a life member of Rotary International and enjoyed the camaraderie within the local groups he participated with. He enjoyed trains (Norfolk & Western 611 & 1218), planes (Piedmont YS-11 & DC-3) and automobiles (Ford Model A) throughout his entire life. He relished driving his 1931 Ford Model A around the countryside and being a part of the Blue Ridge Model A's club. In addition, he was a member of the Old Dominion Historical Fire Society where he was able to share his two antique Oren fire trucks (manufactured in Roanoke) with others that shared the same interest in antique fire apparatus. The family extends their thanks to the kind, dedicated and caring staff at The Glebe Retirement Home in Daleville and Good Samaritan Hospice for their compassionate and loving care. A celebration of Bill's life is being planned for early spring. The family suggests any memorials be in the form of a donation to one of Bill's favorite and often visited places, The Virginia Museum of Transportation, 303 Norfolk Avenue, SW, Roanoke, VA 24016. Friends may send condolences to the family at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .