"It is my hope that when people evaluate my life, they will be able to say that he did the best that he could with this wonderful world and the time that he had," written by Thomas W. Cooke, while writing about his family history and life experiences.

Thomas Wayne Cooke was born on May 18, 1929, at his grandparents house in the small town of Glen Cove, Texas, just south of Abilene. Tom, Tommy, Dad, Poppa, or Pop (as he was known to his family and friends) passed away peacefully on June 12, 2022, in Sugar Land, Texas.

Tommy spent his childhood years living in the Texas countryside. In 1942, his father became a Baptist preacher and moved the family to the Houston area to pastor a church. During these years, his father pastored churches in Kenwood, Old Orchard, Beasley, and League City. Tommy graduated from League City High School. Eventually, his father became the pastor at First Baptist Sugar Land, a church he pastored for 17 years.

As a young 12-year-old boy, Tommy's life changed on December 7, 1941, with the attack on Pearl Harbor. He knew he wanted to serve his country, and he did that as soon as he could by joining the Texas State Guard and eventually the Marine Reserves in high school. On June 4, 1948, Tommy decided to enlist in the United States Air Force. He was immediately sent off on an active duty tour in Japan after 13 weeks of bootcamp. During his military career, Tommy achieved the rank of Chief Master Sergeant and also served in England, Abilene, Germany, Newfoundland, Illinois, Mississippi, Montana, Greenland, Missouri, Turkey, and New York. On many of these assignments, he was the Chief of Quality Control and Standardization, where he supervised and inspected many influential Air Force communication systems. Despite the hardships and successes that come with military service, Tommy was always incredibly proud to have served his country for 27 years.

It was during a tour in England that he met the love of his life, his wife of 68 years, Gillian. Tommy was stationed at the Brize Norton RAF Station near Oxford, England. During free weekends, he and other service men would go to Birmingham, where he attended a dance hosted by a municipal group for the local service men. The first night they met in mid-December 1953, Gillian asked Tommy if he had anywhere to spend Christmas, and he replied that he did not. She said that no one should have to spend Christmas alone and invited him to spend Christmas with her family. It was during this visit that he told her mother that he was going to marry her daughter, even though he had not even told Gillian yet. Nine months later, they married on September 4, 1954, at The Yardley Old Church in Yardley, England. This blessed union led to four children - Baby Cooke (did not survive a premature birth), Roberta, Rebecca and Russell. All of whom - see their father as their hero and built their lives in Sugar Land near their parents.

Tommy was a lover of golf, history, travel, and the outdoors. After his military service, he worked as a Quality Control Manager, where he did many jobs locally, in the United States, and globally. One of his work trips took him on a six month project in China, an experience that he treasured. His love of golf began when he started playing with his father. He even was able to play at many courses in the US and Great Britain. Eventually, after retiring, he would go on to marshall at many golf courses across the city of Houston, which enabled him to have open invitations to play all the great courses nearby. In his later life, Tommy became very interested in his family history and genealogy. Through this exploration and research, he discovered many new facts about his family history. Tommy loved to travel. A favorite trip that he and his family made many times was to Big Bend National Park. He would hike the trails, observe the wildlife and landscapes, and spend time with his family. Tommy also loved photography and would not be caught without a camera in his hand to capture a rare bird sighting or organize the family Christmas photo each year. He was a true Renaissance man - someone who appreciated the little things in life, exemplified kindness and simplicity, and placed an importance on seeing all the wonderful things around the world that God created.

Tommy is preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Robert Lee Cooke and Emma Magdalene Williams-Cooke, and sister, Josephine Cooke-Steed.

Tommy is survived by a loving family, his wife Gillian, and their three children, daughter, Roberta Prater, and her husband, Tracy; daughter, Rebecca Cooke, and her daughters, granddaughter, Renie Deanda, husband, Robert Deanda, and great grandson, Luke, and granddaughter, Brette Cooke; son, Russell Cooke, wife, Alesia, grandson, Clayton Thomas, and granddaughter, Andrea Cooke Holland, husband, Jon Holland, and their children, Avery, Pierce Thomas, and Noah.

In lieu of flowers, the family would like to ask for donations to be made in his name to South Main Baptist Church ( 4100 South Main Houston Texas 77002 ).

Visitation will be held at Garmany and Carden Funeral Directors Chapel (1201 4th Street Rosenberg, Texas 77471) on Thursday, June 16, 2022 from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. A Full Military Honors Graveside Service will be held on Friday, June 17, 2022 at 10:00 a.m. at the Morton Cemetery Pavilion (401 N 2 ^nd Street, Richmond, Texas 77469). A Celebration of Life Service will be held on Friday, June 24, 2022, at 11:00 a.m. at South Main Baptist Church in the Westmoreland Chapel (4100 South Main Houston, Texas 77002) with a Reception in the Fellowship Hall immediately following the service. All are invited to attend both the Full Military Service and the Celebration of Life.

If Tommy was here to sign off this writing, he would write to you this, "may God bless and keep you safe always, as He has me. Thanks for the memories."

We love you, Tommy, and we promise to always look on the bright side and do the best we can with the time provided to us in this wonderful world.

Condolence messages may be written for the Cooke family at www.garmanycarden.com

Services are under the direction of Garmany & Carden Funeral Directors, Inc., 1201 Fourth Street, Rosenberg, TX 77471 (281)342-4671.