Where to begin...where to begin.  I guess I should start out by saying that I'm JD's brother-in-law and how grateful I am to have him in my life.  His love for my sister Lisa, his daughter Iva, and all of us was unconditional.  In particular, his love for Lisa and Iva was infinite and very much admired.  He was caring, hardworking, a man of faith and optimism, and had great devotion to us all.  His deep-fried turkeys at Thanksgiving each year were the best.  We shared a love for deep sea fishing and had our fair share of (mis)adventures.  We fished in places from California to Baja to Costa Rica with a variety of family and friends including my brothers Terry and Mickey.  We fished the wide-open seas in search of the "big one."  JD always did his fair share of "pumping and reeling."  I will cherish our times together knowing that he's smiling down on all of us from the heavens with a fishing rod in one hand, a beer in the other, and a plate of chicken fried steak for when he's done.  May he Rest in Peace.

We felt so grateful that JD and Lisa were able to come to New Jersey for Trevor's graduation from Seton Hall.  We all stayed at an AirBNB and had such a wonderful time making memories.  So much laughing and so many jokes and stories came from that trip.  JD and Lisa hadn't been to New York so we took the train into the city and then took a couple of subway rides to get around.  We saw Grand Central Station and the MetLife building where Trevor had done an internship, we walked from there to Central Park and took in the sights along the way.  After Central Park we took an amazing cruise around Manhattan Island, walked through Times Square and ate an Italian dinner, family style. 

After graduation day, some of the family, including JD, headed back to New York to catch a Yankees game.  We had great seats along the third baseline.   For most of the game the Yankees were losing, but in the 9th inning, Aaron Judge hit a homerun, tying the game.  It went into overtime but we all decided to stay even though it was getting quite late and we were all leaving the next day.  We were so glad we did! The Yankees ended up winning and the whole stadium erupted in cheering, singing and swaying as Sinatra's "New York, New York" blasted through the speakers.  It was an experience that we all enjoyed sharing and one that we will never forget. (See Gallery page for more photos from this story).

O my gosh everyone, where to begin. I want to say that I met Jerry sometime around 1990 at a job we both happened to be selected to work on and there were many. We were working for BCP construction at the time an asbestos abatement company and we're assigned the task of removing the hazardous asbestos materials from High Schools in the Phoenix UNION HS district. They included; Central, Camelback, South mountain, Carl Hayden High schools. JD was choosing the guys he wanted to be on his crew like you would choose your baseball team in a sand lot game. I could tell he was a good man and obviously he could tell that I was too. Little did I know that working together was the start of a relationship that would last some 34 years I would say, give or take. Because of our work ethic we were a great team. So many years of hard work in different States. We were those guys that everyone wanted to work with. Damn we did so much work together those few years. Soon we went out separate ways and honed our skills. BCP construction eventually splintered into three company's and because of our skills we both ended up at different companies. We both became superintendents. I was with Bob Copeland at Mountain States and JD stayed With Bob Close at Lahina. Traveling, Starting families and raising children was in our future. JD was the man you could call for some help on a job at home or a side gig one of us had going. He was always there to help me with his knowledge and creativity as,we worked even harder on side jobs when there was good money to be made. Many years have come and gone. Our families got together now and then. More joy was to be shared as life rolled on. Getting to Meet Lisa and Iva was the bonus for myself and my wife Cheryl and our two boys Justin and Jeremy. We could spend hours talking about so many great memories that I will cherish for the rest of my days on this earth. For now I will say goodnight as it is close to my bedtime, however I will return to you all soon to continue with our story as close friends and confidants through the years.  We have to remember that although Jerry Cook has left the building, his memories will live on in each and every one of us in different ways, for the rest of our days. Hey that rhymes. Much love and many blessings to you Lisa and Iva. May God bless us and keep us untill we meet again soon

I fell in love with JD the night I met him, May 18, 1994. It was at Gallagher’s Sports Bar, where I was sitting at the bar with my then-boyfriend, watching a Phoenix Suns playoff game. JD sat down on the other side of me, and like he does with about everyone, started chatting me up. The other guy wasn’t too into the game, so JD and I rooted and cheered our hometown team. That was the awesome year of Charles Barkley, Danny Ainge, AC Green, Dan Majerele, Cedric Ceballos and so many other great players. JD said to me, “Who’s that lump sitting on the other side of you? If you were with me, I’d be paying you all kinds of attention!” Didn’t take too much after that! I gave him my number, he called the next day, we went on a date that night, and two years to the day later, we got married at Little Church of the West wedding chapel in Las Vegas (where I’m from and where Elvis and Priscilla got married).

I’ve shared some photos on this webpage that are only a tiny depiction of our 30 years (almost half our lives!!) together. Over those years, we loved, we laughed, we fought, we cried, we traveled, we worked and ran businesses. We had a family that included my grandmother living with us the last 12 years of her life. We loved God and worshipped and prayed together. We were blessed by a wide circle of family and friends (still are, of course). It was a roller coaster ride that was sometimes so scary I didn’t think we’d make it to the end.

But we did. We were both true to our vows every day of our marriage. For richer or poorer. In sickness and in health. Till death do us part.

I always told him he was the most handsome man I knew. There is not another like him, and he was perfect for me. I will love him forever, and am certain that when it’s my time, he will be waiting with Jesus at the gates of heaven where we will rest together in eternal peace.