Obituary of Arthur R. Cooke

ARTHUR ROY COOKE Died at home in McLean, Virginia after a short period of illness on December 28, 2011. The cause of death was cancer. Born in Stamford, Connecticut, Cooke moved to the Washington, DC area in 1949 while in the Army. A member of the Ceremonial Company at Fort Myer, he met his future wife Trudy Marie Karnes in September of 1949. The two were married at St. Agnes Catholic Church on May 10, 1951. In 1952, Sergeant Cooke was honorably discharged while stationed at Ft. Monmouth, NJ. Thereafter, he and his wife moved back to Arlington and later McLean, VA. Cooke began working for the Department of Defense Signal Corps at the Pentagon, and continued a 35-year career in Telecommunications and Information Systems Management in various branches of the Federal Government including the White House (Executive Office of the President) and NOAA. In 1984, Cooke retired at the age of 55 after working at FEMA. Cooke graduated with an Associate in Business Administration from American University in 1967. He is survived by his wife of 60 years, Trudy, of McLean, VA; son, Kevin, of McLean, VA; daughter, Diane, of Rye, NY, many nieces and nephews in Connecticut and innumerable friends. The Reverend Candace L. Martin will preside over a memorial service at Charles Wesley Methodist Church at 12 Noon on January 14, 2012. A future scattering of his ashes is planned near his childhood home.