Andrew M. Cook

Cook, Andrew M. BALLSTON LAKE Andrew Michael Cook of Ballston Lake, died on January 28, 2017, while on vacation in southern Chile. He was 39 years old. Andrew was a talented athlete, a curious globetrotter, a dedicated Christian, and a beloved son, brother, friend, colleague, and teacher. A 1996 graduate of Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake High School, Andrew was captain and leading scorer for both the men's soccer team and the men's hockey team. Andrew was an All-America soccer player and helped launch Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake's first ever hockey team. Andrew also played high school men's tennis. Andrew attended St. Lawrence University where he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in economics, played soccer, was a member of the Beta Theta Pi fraternity, and studied abroad in London, England. Andrew received a master's in conflict transformation from the School of International Training in Vermont. At the time of his death, he had just completed his master's in education and pedagogy from Universidad Mayor in Santiago, Chile. Andrew's life was dedicated to expanding tolerance and compassion as well as volunteerism. He had worked with religious leaders in New York City to improve interfaith relations, served as a counselor to high school students from war-torn Cyprus, as a community mediator, as a volunteer for Red Cross, and launched a "pay-it-forward" project to spur volunteerism in the country of Chile. Last year he raised enough funds to grant a child's entire Make-A-Wish request. He had served as an English teacher at Instituto Chileno Norteamericano and, most recently, as an English professor (Profesor en Instituto de Idiomas) at Universidad Mayor in Santiago, Chile, where he had resided for the past nine years. Andrew loved to laugh and sing, was an avid New York Mets fan, and lived his life very much like his favorite quote, "Be the change you wish to see in the world." Andrew is survived by his parents, Andrew B. Cook and Mary Cook; as well as his brother, Peter Cook; sister, Sarah Cook-Raymond (Christopher Raymond); niece, Hannah Raymond; grandmother, Marianne Cook; uncles, John Cook (Nancy), Mark Cook, Larry Nealon (Linda); cousins, John Cook (Maria), Tim Cook, Caitlin Cook-Wightman (Matthew), and Julie Cook-Lynch (Tim); as well as great-aunts, Grace Massaroni and Bernedette Fritz; cousins, Steven Massaroni (Maria), Robert Massaroni (Nora), Linda Massaroni, Mary Perazzo (Norman), and Patrick Fritz. A memorial service will take place on Saturday, February 11, at 11 a.m. in St. Joseph's Catholic Church at 231 Second St., Scotia, followed by a celebration of life at the parish center at 45 Mac Arthur Dr., Scotia. Donations may be made to one of Andrew's favorite charities, Make-A-Wish, Chile: worldwish.org/en/donate; select "Chile" and add "In memory of Andrew Cook."