Milan Winston Cook

Chester, VT - Milan Winston Ward Cook, 80, passed away on August 9, 2025, at the Jack Byrne Center in Lebanon, NH, surrounded by loved ones. He was born on March 12, 1945, in Jacksonville, FL, to Winston H. Cook and Veontha (Ward) Cook, later White.

A lifelong resident of Chester, Milan graduated from Chester High School in 1963. He attended Wentworth College in Boston, graduating in 1965. Soon after, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force, serving until 1969. He trained at Holloman Air Force Base in Alamogordo, NM, and was posted to Germany and Libya, where he served as a chief aircraft mechanic on fighter jets.

Upon returning home, Milan held a variety of jobs that reflected both his mechanical skills and love of the outdoors. He worked at Jones and Lampson in Springfield, then as a logger-earning a local reputation as "the strongest man in town"-later at a gravel pit, and also ran a landscaping business. He eventually joined the maintenance staff at Green Mountain Union High School, where he worked for many years before retiring. His time at the school was marked not only by his hard work, but also by the way he mentored and encouraged countless students.

That generosity of spirit continued with his grandchildren, whom he taught to fish, boat, track animals in the woods, and join him in building or fixing just about anything. A true Yankee at heart, Milan had a knack for saving anything useful, a willingness to help anyone in need, and an eagerness to climb onto the nearest bulldozer-always the first to start and the last to quit.

Milan was married briefly to the late Lindy Kaszeta, and together they had a daughter, Kadi Cook, and her husband, Michael Rogers of Eatontown, NJ, with children Cedar and Opal. Through this marriage, Milan also gained the gift of stepchildren who remained part of his life: Jim Decker of Middlesex, VT; Diane (Decker) Massi of Hillsborough, NJ, and her husband, Claude, with children Julia, Alyssa, and Jenna; and Gregory Decker of Mount Holly, VT, and his wife, Roweena, with children Arianna and Philippe. He is also survived by his sister, Melody Cassista of New London, NH; his brother, Kenneth Cook of Ludlow, VT; and beloved nieces and nephews. He was predeceased by his stepsister, Sally Bratton of Chester, VT.

A graveside service will be held on Saturday, September 13, 2025, at 11:00 a.m. at Pleasant View Cemetery in Chester, VT, followed by a celebration of life at the American Legion, 637 VT-103, Chester, VT. Davis Memorial Chapel, Springfield, VT, is assisting with arrangements.