WILLIAM COMPTON COOK

William Compton Cook of Vero Beach, Florida passed away peacefully on January 15th, 2026 due to complications from Alzheimer's.

Bill was born in Nashville, Tennessee on July 3rd, 1937. He attended Parmer School in Nashville, and Episcopal High School, in Alexandria, Virginia, before graduating from Vanderbilt University, where he was on the varsity golf team, participated in NROTC and was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.

After college he served in the Navy as an Intelligence Officer in Norfolk, Virginia, before marrying and returning to Nashville to work at Genesco. In 1978 he and his family moved to Wilton, Connecticut where he took a job as Senior Vice President of Sales with Bally of Switzerland. He retired from the Navy as a Commander after serving over 20 years in the Naval Reserves. In 1988, Bill and his family returned to Tennessee, where he served as the President of Hartmann Luggage Company in Lebanon. After leaving Hartmann Luggage, Bill started his own Management Consulting business, called Cumberland Management. One of the contracts through Cumberland Management took him to Chattanooga, Tennessee for a brief period, before returning to Lebanon.

In his later years, Bill moved to Linville, North Carolina, where he loved hiking with his beloved labrador retriever, Belle, and where he met and married his second wife, Gloria, who had a summer home in Valle Crucis. Bill and Gloria later relocated permanently to Vero Beach, Florida.

From a very young age, Biil had a love and a real talent for the game of golf. He was the Belle Meade Country Club Junior Champion in 1952. That same year, he qualified for the National Junior Amateur Golf Championship held at Yale Golf Club in New Haven, Connecticut. Bill was one of 128 starting qualifiers, out of a field of 711 young men from across the country. He earned his varsity letter in golf his sophomore year at Vanderbilt University. He also liked to play tennis, playing regularly well into his 80's. Bill loved nothing more than a good competitive game of backgammon, cards, a board game or a very serious, but fun, game of putt-putt with his family.

As a well respected and avid collector of presidential memorabilia, specializing in Andrew Jackson, Bill was elected to the distinguished American Antiquarian Society in 1989. A large portion of his collection on Andrew Jackson relating to the War of 1812 was acquired by the Williams Research Center at The Historic New Orleans Collection in 2001, known as the William C. Cook War of 1812 in the South Collection. In 2015, over 1,000 rare books, pamphlets and other items related to Andrew Jackson was donated to the American Antiquarian Society, adding a significant contribution to their Jacksonian collection. The remainder of his Andrew Jackson memorabilia was donated to the Andrew Jackson Foundation, which oversees Andrew Jackson's home, The Hermitage. Prior to its dispersal, Bill's collection of Andrew Jackson prints, rare books, pamphlets, papers and other artifacts, was the largest collection of Andrew Jackson memorabilia in private hands.

He is survived by his wife, Gloria H. Von Stein, brother Charles Wilkerson Cook Jr. (Mary), former wife, Jean Eggleston Cook, daughters Jennie Cook Ross (Jim) and Anna Cook Young, step-children Anthony Owens and Traci Lewis, three grandchildren, Donald Chandler Young IV, Mollie Young Davies (Kyle) and William Compton Young, and step grandchild Kayla Lewis. He was preceded in death by parents Virgina Jones Cook and Charles Wilkerson Cook Sr., and infant daughter Mollie Wilkerson Cook.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, a memorial contribution be made to VNA of Vero Beach (445 24th St. Suite 200, Vero Beach, FL 33960), Cumberland Heights (Nashville, TN) or to the Westminster Presbyterian Church (Nashville, TN).

A graveside service for extended family and friends will be held at 12:30pm on Tuesday, February 17th at Mount Olivet Cemetery in Nashville, Tennessee, with The Reverend Dr. Donovan Drake of Westminster Presbyterian Church presiding.