Early on the morning of Jan. 17, 2021, Robert Cook breathed his last and peacefully departed a world he had graced for nearly a century.
His passing marked the end of a rich and colorful life, a life that left an indelible mark on those whom he knew and loved. He is dearly missed.
Rob was born to Chester Arthur Cook and Hortense Angeline Kelly Cook on Sept. 25, 1925, in Seattle, Washington.
When the Great Depression began in 1929, the Cook family, like countless others, was hard-pressed to make ends meet. The family of five left Seattle and moved permanently to their summer home north of the city. Like millions of other Americans who lived through the Depression, Rob was a product of his times, instilled with a certain brand of toughness that was borne of scarcity, uncertainty, and need. By the age of 14, he had left the family home and began working on a chicken ranch, trading his labor for room and board.
On his 17th birthday, still a child in the eyes of the law, Rob hitchhiked to Seattle to embark on a journey that would come to define his life. With his mother’s consent (since he wasn’t legally able to give it himself), he joined the U.S. Navy and prepared to travel abroad. It was less than a year after Japan’s surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and America’s subsequent entry in the World War II.
Rob completed basic training at Great Lakes Training Camp in Illinois, followed by gunnery school in Little Creek, Virginia. By Christmas Eve of 1942, he was embarked aboard SS Alexander Lillington, one of the thousands of Liberty ships commissioned by the U.S. government to move cargo and troops across the Atlantic in support of the war effort. In the years that followed, he served as a Naval Armed Gunner on three Liberty ships and one tanker. He participated in 13 perilous voyages across the Atlantic, moving through contested waters and evading German U-boats that prowled the seas, eager to close with and destroy Allied vessels.
One cannot overstate the sense of pride Rob felt to have honorably served his nation in what was arguably the world’s most dire moment. He was a member of America’s greatest generation — those men and women who bravely pulled the world back from the brink of despair, then marched boldly into an unprecedented era of American growth, prosperity, and achievement. He was proud of his country, shared its democratic values, and was a patriot in the truest sense of the word.
After leaving active duty in 1946, Rob joined the U.S. Naval Reserve out of Port Townsend, Washington. He continued to proudly serve our country until 1962, when he retired from the Navy with the rank of Chief Boatswain’s Mate. In the years after his Navy retirement, he often visited schools in the local area, educating young men and women about the importance of national defense and how the US military lent security to the world writ large.
James Truslow Adams coined the term the American dream in his 1931 book, “Epic of America.” In many ways, Rob lived this dream. In 1952, he married the love of his life, Claribel Francis Bishop Cook. He and Clarie built a life together. They raised two children, ran a small business for more than 20 years, and were well-known and much-respected members of their community. After relocating to San Diego in the 1980s, Clarie and Rob became valued members of their new community. They built lasting friendships, loved to entertain guests, and Rob continued to work as an electrician until the age of 89.
Life wasn’t always easy for Clarie and Rob. Their years together were marked by peaks and valleys, tragedies coupled with innumerable blessings. Through it all, their bond was underpinned by an unbreakable unifying force — a shared understanding that they were in it together, through thick and thin. They survived and thrived as one.
Rob was a man imbued with charm and fine taste. He took pride in his appearance, dressed impeccably, and became the center of gravity in any room he entered. He had a way of speaking to people, small children and adults alike, that made them feel like they were the most important person in the world. But for Rob, that person was always Clarie.
Rob wrote countless poems over the years. His thoughtful, witty prose helped commemorate weddings, birthdays, funerals, and many other significant events in the lives of those he loved. But much of his poetry was reserved for Clarie. He had an abundance of sweet sentiments and he shared them generously in letters and cards that marked the passage of their years together. They were often signed sweetly, as an homage to their time in Hawaii, “Love, Kahuna Rob.”
At the time of his passing, Rob had been sober for more than 50 years. He took great pride in this point, seeing his sobriety as a symbol for accountability, responsibility, and personal growth. Long ago, Alcoholics Anonymous adopted the serenity prayer as the organization’s mantra, a call to action for people committed to personal change.
God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.
Rob lived his life by these words, as reflected by the relationships he made and legacy he left behind.
Rob was preceded in death by his daughter (Leslie Michelle Cook), his brother (Chet Cook), and his beloved Claribel. He is survived by his sister (Pat Horton); his daughter (Barbara Cook Bascom); his two grandchildren; a wide extended family; and countless friends whose lives he touched and enriched along the way.
Fair winds and following seas, Chief. We have the watch…
