On Monday, November 2, 2020, Michael Weldon Cook, loving father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, passed away peacefully at home in Montgomery, Texas, at the age of 71.

Mike was born on July 7, 1949, in Lapeer, MI, to Lewis William Cook and Rosella Mae "Rosa" (LaPratt) Cook. He enjoyed the outdoors in his younger years, and he recalled his favorite childhood memory being ice-fishing with his dad. He graduated from Lapeer High School where he was on the wrestling team. He was also an accomplished boxer and competed for The Golden Glove. He joined the Navy in October 1968. He served as a Marine Mechanic on the submarine tender USS Bushnell in Key West, FL. Mike joined the Navy Reserves and later the Army Reserves. After leaving military service in 1980, Mike worked diligently wherever his eclectic career took him: from working at General Motors to his favorite job as a corrections officer in Texas to working at the butcher counter in Kroger during his retirement years. He always worked hard, stayed busy, and was a perfect example of punctuality.

Mike had a deep love for his family with whom he kept in touch via phone each week. He never missed an opportunity to celebrate a loved one's birthday by tucking some cash into a carefully selected card. His handwritten notes on the back of the envelopes, which always included the message, "I love you with all my heart. God bless the Cook family.", will especially be missed. Mike enjoyed listening to Elvis Presley, drinking Vernor's ginger ale, watching Westerns, and cheering on the Dallas Cowboys. He always had a gallon of sweet tea ready for guests to drink whenever they came by, and he especially enjoyed taking his kids and grandkids out to eat at his favorite local restaurants, usually at Denny's.

Mike is lovingly remembered by his three children and their spouses: Juanita & Brandon Bell, Michael & Amy Cook, and Susie & Chunk Linn. He adored his grandchildren: Christopher Cook, and wife, Tori, Noah Pierce, and wife, Sayler, Breanna Pierce, Brandon Michael Bell, Eden, Nathanael, & Arabella, as well as his four great-grandchildren, Annabelle, Christopher Michael Jr., Addison, & Harper. He is also survived by his sister, Malleen, his former spouse and friend, Carmen Juanita (Gonzales) Hicks, along with the Gonzales family, whom he considered his own, Hayle & Kinzley Walston, and numerous other extended family members and friends that loved him and will miss him. He was preceded in death by his parents Lewis and Rosa, his brothers Buck, Bill, and Virgil, his sister, Lucy, his mother-in-law, Luisa, and his granddaughter, Savannah Ryan Pierce.

Final arrangements are being made by Graceful Memorial Chapel, Houston, TX. A private memorial service will be held at Emmanuel Baptist Church, Palestine, TX.