Obituary for Keith Nelson Cook
May 9, 1950 to May 12, 2022
Keith Nelson Cook was born in 1950 in the Old Marietta Hospital on Cherokee Street, the youngest of eight children to Armor Allen Cook and Ruth Holcombe Cook. He lived in Marietta until early childhood, then relocated with his mother and sister Cheryl to California to be closer to family. There, he attended El Cajon High School and enlisted in the Air Force in 1969. After four years and multiple stations, including Guam and Puerto Rico, Keith was honorably discharged in 1973. He met his eventual wife, Linda (Bias) while stationed at March Air Force Base near Riverside, California in 1971. The inseparable pair were married on June 16, 1973 and remained happily wed for nearly 49 years until his passing. They later welcomed sons Jeff and Cody, as well as four grandchildren, Alison (18), Riley (12), and Aiden (11). Their youngest grandson, Andrew Keith (7), was memorably born on Keith’s 65th birthday, and was thus named in his honor. His grandchildren were a main source of joy, especially in recent years, as he battled Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
In the late 1970s, Keith and Linda relocated back to Georgia, living near downtown Kennesaw for many years before moving to Rome, Georgia, then Warthen in middle Georgia. At the time of his passing, he resided in Hiram. Among his professional contributions, Keith spent many years working for Atlanta Gas Light.
Keith was a beloved member of every community he was in, particularly known for his talents as a folk artist. Especially gifted at woodwork, Keith carved one-of-a-kind walking sticks for many members of his family and friends. Famously, during his employment at Brentwood School in Sandersville, he made walking sticks for the entire second grade class, which were received with great joy by the children. He was known to do detailed carvings of flowers, names, and emblems on the walking sticks, and would often paint them to add extra detail. He and Linda also fashioned Santa Claus visages using hollowed out gourds, which they then carved and painted. Each of Keith’s handmade works of art are treasured by anyone who was lucky enough to receive them.
His artistic prowess extended to almost all other areas of the craft. Keith was talented at painting and drawing, and would often doodle caricatures and other pictures inside birthday cards, or just for fun to make people smile. Some of his best works of art were temporary, though. Long before wash-off tattoos became commonplace, Keith delighted his children and their friends by using ink pens to draw elaborate tattoos on them. Once, he spent at least two hours creating a tattoo of a ship on his son!
A history buff, Keith participated for years in Civil War reenactments as both Union and Confederate soldiers. He made all of his uniforms and caps from scratch, and they were every bit as close to authentic (probably more so), than those that were purchased.
Above all of that, though, Keith was best known for his incomparably sweet disposition, sparkling eyes, and ability to make people laugh. He loved to entertain his nieces and nephews by wiggling his ears and doing voice impressions, especially of Donald Duck. He was close to just about everyone in his extensive family, and especially enjoyed taking trips back to California to see members of both the Cook and Bias families.
Although Keith loved all of his seven siblings, he had a special bond with Cheryl, who was only three years older. The pair cavorted, laughed, and generally had a great time together until her passing in 2016. In addition to Cheryl, Keith was preceded in death by his sisters Barnelle and Laverne, as well as brothers Clyde, Myron (Merv), Michael, and Kenneth. His devotion to his wife Linda, however, is really something special. Throughout his health struggles in recent years, she advocated tirelessly on his behalf and loved him beyond compare. No matter how dementia affected him, he always knew his sweetheart, and turned to her for comfort. Keith will be loved and missed as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend.
A Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 in the chapel of Parnick Jennings Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at the funeral home. Guests are invited to bring any handmade items Keith made to share.
Keith Nelson Cook was born in 1950 in the Old Marietta Hospital on Cherokee Street, the youngest of eight children to Armor Allen Cook and Ruth Holcombe Cook. He lived in Marietta until early childhood, then relocated with his mother and sister Cheryl to California to be closer to family. There, he attended El Cajon High School and enlisted in the Air Force in 1969. After four years and multiple stations, including Guam and Puerto Rico, Keith was honorably discharged in 1973. He met his eventual wife, Linda (Bias) while stationed at March Air Force Base near Riverside, California in 1971. The inseparable pair were married on June 16, 1973 and remained happily wed for nearly 49 years until his passing. They later welcomed sons Jeff and Cody, as well as four grandchildren, Alison (18), Riley (12), and Aiden (11). Their youngest grandson, Andrew Keith (7), was memorably born on Keith’s 65th birthday, and was thus named in his honor. His grandchildren were a main source of joy, especially in recent years, as he battled Lewy body dementia and Parkinson’s disease.
In the late 1970s, Keith and Linda relocated back to Georgia, living near downtown Kennesaw for many years before moving to Rome, Georgia, then Warthen in middle Georgia. At the time of his passing, he resided in Hiram. Among his professional contributions, Keith spent many years working for Atlanta Gas Light.
Keith was a beloved member of every community he was in, particularly known for his talents as a folk artist. Especially gifted at woodwork, Keith carved one-of-a-kind walking sticks for many members of his family and friends. Famously, during his employment at Brentwood School in Sandersville, he made walking sticks for the entire second grade class, which were received with great joy by the children. He was known to do detailed carvings of flowers, names, and emblems on the walking sticks, and would often paint them to add extra detail. He and Linda also fashioned Santa Claus visages using hollowed out gourds, which they then carved and painted. Each of Keith’s handmade works of art are treasured by anyone who was lucky enough to receive them.
His artistic prowess extended to almost all other areas of the craft. Keith was talented at painting and drawing, and would often doodle caricatures and other pictures inside birthday cards, or just for fun to make people smile. Some of his best works of art were temporary, though. Long before wash-off tattoos became commonplace, Keith delighted his children and their friends by using ink pens to draw elaborate tattoos on them. Once, he spent at least two hours creating a tattoo of a ship on his son!
A history buff, Keith participated for years in Civil War reenactments as both Union and Confederate soldiers. He made all of his uniforms and caps from scratch, and they were every bit as close to authentic (probably more so), than those that were purchased.
Above all of that, though, Keith was best known for his incomparably sweet disposition, sparkling eyes, and ability to make people laugh. He loved to entertain his nieces and nephews by wiggling his ears and doing voice impressions, especially of Donald Duck. He was close to just about everyone in his extensive family, and especially enjoyed taking trips back to California to see members of both the Cook and Bias families.
Although Keith loved all of his seven siblings, he had a special bond with Cheryl, who was only three years older. The pair cavorted, laughed, and generally had a great time together until her passing in 2016. In addition to Cheryl, Keith was preceded in death by his sisters Barnelle and Laverne, as well as brothers Clyde, Myron (Merv), Michael, and Kenneth. His devotion to his wife Linda, however, is really something special. Throughout his health struggles in recent years, she advocated tirelessly on his behalf and loved him beyond compare. No matter how dementia affected him, he always knew his sweetheart, and turned to her for comfort. Keith will be loved and missed as a husband, father, grandfather, uncle, and friend.
A Funeral Service will be held at 2:00 pm on Wednesday, May 18, 2022 in the chapel of Parnick Jennings Funeral Home. The family will receive friends from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Tuesday, May 17, 2022 at the funeral home. Guests are invited to bring any handmade items Keith made to share.