Lawrence J. "Larry" Cook

Lawrence J. Cook (Larry) passed away peacefully, surrounded by his family on November 20, 2016. Larry will be remembered for his passion for life, fun loving spirit and his love for his family, his faith, his friends, his work and his Missouri Tigers. Larry was born on March 8, 1932, to Lawrence and Mary (Newland) Cook in Unionville, Missouri. He was preceded in death by his parents and his two sisters, Betty Blankenship and Joann Baughman. He was married to Wanda (Terry) Cook for 61 years. They have three children, David and wife Karen, of Independence, Missouri, Pam and husband Bob, of Liberty, Missouri and John and wife Bridget, of Elkton, Maryland, and nine grandchildren and four great-grandchildren, he delighted in calling his “pups”. Larry grew up on his rural family farm. He attended Hannibal LaGrange College then began his career in education teaching grades 1-8 in a one room school house in Northern Missouri. He then proudly served in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War as an airplane crew chief. He developed a love of airplanes during his time in the service. Larry later graduated from the University of Missouri, Columbia. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Education in Industrial Arts and a Master of Arts and Specialist degrees in Adult and Continuing Education. Larry was employed by the Independence School District for more than 30 years. He taught Distributive Education and Cooperative Occupational Education and also was the district Director of Adult Basic Education, which included the GED program. After retirement, Larry worked for the Missouri Department of Education in Veterans Affairs. Larry was a member of the First Baptist Church of Lee’s Summit, serving as a deacon. He was also a member of the Independence Rotary Club and served as president. Visitation will be at Speaks Suburban Chapel, 18020 E. 39th St., Independence, Missouri, from 6:00 – 8:00 pm on Friday, November 25. A memorial service will be held at First Baptist Church of Lee’s Summit, Missouri on Saturday, November 26 at 10:00 am. A private inurnment will take place at a later date at the Missouri State Veterans’ Cemetery in Higginsville, Missouri. Contributions may be made to the First Baptist Church of Lee’s Summit or the Independence Rotary club.