Obituary of Dick Cook

James R. ”Dick” Cook, 85, of 43 William St. Addison, passed away at his home on Monday, July 3, 2023. Dick was born in Corning, NY on January 8, 1938, the son of the late Harold E. and Helen Wheeler Cook. Raised in Addison, he attended Addison Central School. On April 21, 1956, Dick and the former Flora Dieter were married in Addison. Flora preceded him in death on October 15, 2007. Dick was employed as an electrician by Corning Glass Works, later Corning Inc. for 30 years. Prior to his career at Corning, he had worked for Ingersoll Rand Co. for 8 years. A talented musician, Dick was a founding member of the Southern Tier Bluegrass Assoc. He played acoustic guitar in various bluegrass groups including his own band, the Tuscarora Bluegrass Boys. His wife Flora played the upright bass. They traveled extensively to attend bluegrass festivals and share time with friends with like interests. Dick was an avid card player and coin collector. He and Flora had been league bowlers and enjoyed car rides on unexplored roads. Upon retirement, they moved to Zephyrhills, Florida where they resided for 28 years. He loved Florida and the many friends that they made while living there. Dick returned to Addison three years ago to be near family. He became a man of habit following Flora’s death with a daily routine to keep himself busy and focused on his self-sufficiency. Dick is survived by his daughter and son-in-law, Penny and Leslie Wakefield of Addison, his grandchildren, Russell Jones (Stephanie Smith) of Addison, Autumn Smith (Eric Ribble) of Addison and Heather Wakefield (Adam Clark) of Bath, several great and great-great grandchildren, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, Louise Davis, Cookie Curren, Terry Dieter, Dwight Dieter and Jesse Faulkner along with many nieces and nephews. Besides his wife Flora, Dick was predeceased by his son, Timothy Cook on July 21, 1981 and by his sisters, Mary Ward and Carol Faulkner. The family will receive friends for a session of visitation on Wednesday, July 19 from 1 to 3 pm at the H.P. Smith & Son Funeral Home, 1607 Main St., Woodhull, NY. There will be a celebration of life at a later date.