William Edward Cook

William "Bill" Edward Cook, age 78, passed away peacefully on Thursday, July 20 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Pensacola, Florida.
Bill was born August 12, 1944, in Sandusky, Ohio to Lavada and Clarence Cook. After graduating from Norwalk (OH) High School, he became a "kiddy cruiser" and reported for boot camp in Great Lakes, Illinois before his 18th birthday. He then went to Dental Tech School in San Diego before reporting to his first assignment at Subic Bay, Philippines. His assignments after that were USS Hancock CVA-19 (Vietnam), Dental Prosthetic "C" School (San Diego), NAS Pensacola, pre-commissioning USS JF Kennedy CV-67 (Norfolk), USS Essex CVS-9 (Quonset Point, RI), USS America CVA-66 (Norfolk), USS Yorktown CVS-10 (Norfolk), USS Vulcan AR-5 (Norfolk), Dental Prosthetic "B" School (San Diego), NAS Meridian, NAVTCS UK (London, England), Naval Dental Center ADL (Norfolk), USS Independence CV-62 (Norfolk), NDC/School (Bethesda) and his final detail at Naval Dental Center ADL (Norfolk) where he retired as Command Master Chief after serving for 30 years and 20 days.
After moving to Pensacola in 1994 he finished his bachelor's degree and began looking for his next challenge. He worked at Dixie Dental making dentures until he joined the newly created TSA at the airport in Mobile, Alabama. After Hurricane Ivan, he started working with Santa Rosa County documenting hurricane damage for the county's insurance claim. He later moved to Human Resources and worked for the county an additional 10 years. He volunteered for many years at the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society and the USO.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents.
He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Barbara Lynn (Werner); son, William Edward II (Mark Thomas); daughter, Bethany Lynn (Preston Sanders); grandchildren, Makaylin Jane and Preston Skye.
A Funeral Service will be held Thursday, July 27 at Lewis Funeral Home in Milton Chapel, 6405 Highway 90 W Milton, Florida 32570, with visitation from 10:00-11:00am and service at 11:00am.
A Committal Service will be held the same day at Barrancas National Cemetery, 1 Cemetery Road Pensacola, Florida 32508 at 2:00pm with full military honors. A procession to the cemetery will be meeting at Olive Baptist Church Warrington Campus (103 W Winthrop Ave, Pensacola, FL 32507) at 1:30pm to depart at 1:45pm.
A reception will follow at the Cook residence in Milton.
Donations may be made in his honor to the Navy-Marine Corps Relief Society Pensacola, 91 Radford Blvd BLDG 191 Pensacola, FL 32508 or online at nmcrs.org. You can also donate to the USO on their website uso.org Please make gifts in memory of William Cook so the family can acknowledge the gifts.