Richard L. Cook, BHS 1969

Richard L. Cook, BHS 1969, November 12, 1950 - October 1, 2015

A REMEMBRANCE OF LIFE , Richard (Rick) L. Cook passed away peacefully on October 1, 2015. He was six weeks shy of his 65th birthday. Rick was born November 12, 1950, raised in Burbank, California and continued to be a life-long resident of the area. He was a 1969 graduate of Burbank High School and received his AA Degree from Glendale Community College, along with numerous aviation certificates and awards. 

By trade, Rick was an expert aviation mechanic who specialized in helicopters. He loved working with his hands and could build/fix/repair just about anything. Early in his career, he enjoyed working on tuna boats as their helicopter mechanic. Afterwards, he worked for various aviation companies such as Aviall, Ryder, Garrett and Rotor Craft Support. 

He loved music and his taste ran from The Rolling Stones to Adele. He was also slightly obsessed with The Duke and loved watching John Wayne movies as well as anything related to Star Wars, Star Trek, Pirates of the Caribbean and Laurel & Hardy. He was also a big fan of the History Channel, especially their WWII segments. His favorite time of the year was "football season"; however, he was also an avid fan of the L.A. Kings and the L.A. Lakers. 

Rick enjoyed a fun, full adventurous life that included many hobbies and activities, such as horseback riding, waterskiing, snow-skiing, hiking, boating, volleyball, trains, hot-rods & classic cars, attending airplane shows, car shows and building remote-controlled tanks & model airplanes. He was also a huge animal lover (especially dogs) and had a special connection with his beloved horse, Mr. Ed, whom he had for 36 years. 

Rick is predeceased by his beloved father Ken Cook and is survived by his mother Edith Cook and his sister Heidi Cook. Rick was an easy-going fella with a quick laugh and a huge heart and will be greatly missed by his family and his close friends and colleagues. Per the family's wishes, there was no service. 

Published in The Burbank Leader, Wednesday November 11, 2015