Ronnie (Ron) Ray Cook, 79 of Sun City West, AZ passed
away on Saturday, August 17, 2024, at home surrounded by his loving
family. Ron fought a long, difficult
battle with Parkinson’s (and later Dementia).
A visitation will be held from 1:00 to 2:30 pm Saturday, September 7,
2024, at Mullinax Funeral Home in Drexel, MO (816-657-4400). Funeral services will follow at 2:30 pm. Memorial contributions can be made to the
Wounded Warriors Foundation. Messages of
condolence may be left for the family at www.mullinaxfuneralhome.com.
Ron was the third boy born May 19, 1945, in Buckner, MO to
Raymond and Juanita (Howell) Cook. After
a brief move to Freeman, the family settled in Drexel, MO when Ron started 1st
grade. Then 5 years later, a little girl was added to the Cook family.
Ron graduated from Drexel High School in 1963. He attended Missouri Valley College on a
basketball scholarship. He married his
high school sweetheart, Betty, on June 10, 1967. They just celebrated their 57th
wedding anniversary.
On March 18, 1968, Ron received his draft notice and left
for Ft. Polk, Louisiana. Ron served a
full year as a front-line infantryman in the jungles of Vietnam.
Upon return, Ron went back to his Information Technology job
at Bendix. While living in Lee’s Summit
MO, they were blessed with their first beautiful daughter, Angela
Michelle. Three years later, they moved
to Drexel, where they built their first new home. They were blessed again, with
another brown-eyed, beautiful girl, Renee Marie.
While living in Drexel, Ron was an active member of the
Lions Club, school board and swimming pool committee.
Ron retired after 30 years with Honeywell (formerly
Bendix/Allied Signal) in 1997. The
following year, Ron and Betty began wintering in Gold Canyon, Arizona. They also moved to Overland Park KS and spent
14 years there before moving to Sun City West AZ full-time in 2014.
Ron is survived by his wife, Betty of Sun City West AZ;
daughters Angela Cook of Chandler AZ and Renee Doonan (Scott) of Gilbert AZ and
grandchildren Blake, Brooke and Alex; his sister, Mary Halverson (Harlan) of
South Dakota; nephews Aaron Cook (Brenda) of Massachusetts, Bryon Cook (Lorrie)
of Drexel MO, Kevin Cook (Donna) of Alabama, Jeremy Gunnels of South Dakota and
a niece Joni Smith (Brian) of South Dakota and a host of other extended family
and friends. Ron was preceded in death
by his father, Raymond Cook; mother, Juanita (Howell) Cook; brothers Howard
Cook and Robert (Bob) Cook; his Granny, Maude St. Clair; and many aunts,
uncles, cousins, and nephews.
Ron unselfishly donated his body to Science Care helping
with their study of Parkinson’s.
