Robert "Bob" Cooke

A private family gathering will be held for Robert “Bob” Cooke, 94, of Portland, formerly of Coos Bay at Sunset Memorial Park in Coos Bay.

Robert was born June 4, 1925 in Biltmore, North Carolina to Robert and Peggy Cooke. He passed away July 26, 2019 in Portland.

Bob grew up in Western North Carolina and after high school he served in the US Army in the South Pacific in WWII. Upon his return, he met and married North Carolina native, Fay Cochran in 1947. They were married for 63 years when she passed away in 2010. In their early years of marriage, Bob worked several different jobs, mostly in the printing business, and they moved many times.

In the late 1950s, Bob attended North Carolina State University, obtaining a degree in Forestry. This prompted a move west to Bonners Ferry, Idaho, where Bob worked for the Forest Service. In 1964, after a few years of shoveling snow in the winter and fighting fires in the summer, the family relocated to Coos Bay, as Bob had taken a job with the Bureau of Land Management. Bob had many stories about his years of working in the woods surveying logging roads. He retired from the BLM in 1985, and he and Fay enjoyed travels around the world and in the U.S. Bob also enjoyed model railroading and had hundreds of HO scale trains. He moved to Portland in 2015 to be near his son and daughter.

Bob is survived by his son, Robert L. Cooke Jr. and wife, Kay of Ridgefield, Washington; daughter, Susan Kendrick and husband, Mike of Portland; grandchildren, Robert Cooke of Portland, Jeremy Cooke of Tacoma, Washington, Denise Rosenblad of Gresham, Kayla Bird of McMinnville, Justine Bird of Beaverton, Jacob Kendrick of Portland; great-grandchildren, Hailey, Sage, Maile and Tylen Rosenblad.

Memorial contributions in Bob’s name may be made to the Coos Bay Harmony United Methodist Church, 123 Ocean Blvd. SE, Coos Bay, OR 97420, or a charity of one’s choice.

Arrangements are under the care of Coos Bay Chapel, 541-267-3131.

Friends and family are encouraged to sign the online guestbook at www.coosbayareafunerals.com

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