Roger Earl Cook, 65, of Ocilla, Georgia, died Saturday, August 13, 2022, at his residence surrounded by his family after a courageous battle with ALS.
Funeral services will be held 4 PM, Tuesday, August 16, 2022, at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Irwin County, Georgia, with the Rev. John Gibbs, Jr, and the Rev. Ike Thomas officiating. Interment will follow in the church cemetery. The family will receive friends one hour prior to the service in the sanctuary on Tuesday.
Mr. Cook was born June 17, 1957, in Muscogee County, Georgia, to the late Earl Addison & Essie Wilkerson Cook. He moved to Fitzgerald at the age of 12 and was a 1975 graduate of Fitzgerald High School. He earned a plumbing certification from Ben Hill-Irwin Tech. He worked for Mann & Harper at Trendsetter and then worked for Union Camp in Tifton. He also worked for the Ocilla Housing Authority. Mr. Cook owned and operated his own construction business, Cook’s Remodel & Home Repair, for 25 years until his health declined. He also served as the building inspector for Irwin County for several years. Mr. Cook was an avid hunter and fisherman and coached youth league sports for the Irwin County Recreation Department for many years including baseball and girls’ softball. Mr. Cook’s pallbearers will be longtime friends who shared his passion for the outdoors and sports. He was a member of Bethlehem Baptist Church.
He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Lisa Giddens Cook of Ocilla; daughter: Morgan Cook-Shivers & Patrick of Ft. Gaines; the bright lights of his life, his grandchildren: Sara Bess, Mary Hazel, and Thomas Mercer; siblings: Anita Sweat of Fitzgerald, Linda & Terry Bostick of Tifton, Terry Cook, Sr. of Fitzgerald, and Ruby & Norman Hodgman of Fitzgerald; several nieces and nephews and great-nieces and nephews including a special nephew, Chris Cook and his daughter Carman Cook as well as Anna Catherine Daniels; and his mother-in-law, Frances Bradford of Ocilla. In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his only son, Roger Eric Cook; a sister, Debra Cook Durden; and a beloved nephew, Mike Sweat.
The family suggests those desiring to send memorials may send them to Bethlehem Baptist Church, P O Box 27, Ocilla, GA 31774, or to Hospice Care Options, 200 South Cherry Street, Ocilla, GA 31774 or to ALS Association, Georgia Chapter, 5881 Glenridge Dr, Suite 200, Atlanta GA 30328.