WEBUTUCK — Brian Scott Cook, age 76, of Plattsburgh, New York, passed away peacefully at home on Sunday, June 9, 2024, after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.
Brian was born Oct. 3, 1947, in Sharon, Connecticut, to Helen and Robert Cook of Amenia.
An only child for the first 10 years of his life, Brian enjoyed many sports including high school soccer, archery, and skiing.
In later years, he liked to tell the story of how his father would race the train home in their car from the neighboring town of Wassaic, sparking a lifelong interest in railroads.
The family spent time in the summers at Augur Lake in the Adirondacks. In his teens, Brian was joined by siblings Kevin N. Cook, Judith A. Cook, and Gerry R. Cook.
He graduated from Webutuck High School in 1965, and from Syracuse University with a degree in business in 1969. While at Syracuse, he met wife Judy E. Cook in a snowball fight; they married St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church in Rochester, New York, on June 28, 1969.
Brian enlisted in the Coast Guard during the Vietnam War, and was stationed at Governors Island in New York City from 1969-1973. Son Paul F. Cook was born in New York in 1972. The family relocated to Rochester in 1973, where Brian joined the marketing department of Itek Corporation, a manufacturer of photographic equipment.
His second son, Jason R. Cook, was born in 1976 in Rochester. The young family spent many happy weeks at summer cabins in the Thousand Islands and in Vermont.
Itek was later acquired by A.B. Dick Company, and in 1990, rather than move to Chicago, Brian set out on a second career with Gould’s Pumps in Seneca Falls, New York, where he worked for 25 years. His marketing roles provided the opportunity to travel to Japan, Austria, and Italy.
In later years, Brian and Judy enjoyed traveling as a couple to England, France, Germany, Austria, and Italy, as well as within the United States.
Brian was involved in the Lutheran Church from the time of his marriage, first at St. Matthew’s and later at St. Mark Lutheran in West Henrietta, New York. He held many church leadership positions over time, including a year as interim lay minister at St. Mark, and most recently as President and Secretary of Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Plattsburgh. Brian was also highly involved in the Boy Scouts of America, serving as Scoutmaster of Troop 7 in Henrietta and spending many of his summer vacation weeks with his sons and other scouts at Camp Gorton in Central New York. His lifelong hobbies were model trains, gardening, and genealogy. Brian worked on and off for 50 years on a model train layout of the Harlem Valley Railroad near his childhood home, and he enjoyed learning about railroads in other parts of the country such as his son Paul’s home in Colorado.
Brian and Judy relocated to a new home in Plattsburgh near son Jason in 2012, where Brian developed a large property by the Salmon River with gardens and walking paths.
Brian charted his family tree back into the Middle Ages, and he served as a genealogist for the Valcour Chapter of Sons of the American Revolution. He was also a member of the General Society of Mayflower Descendants, and the Descendants of the Founders of Ancient Windsor.
Brian was the author of a book of family history titled “Wessex Legacy: The Cook Family Story.” He also authored two small volumes on the history of St. Mark Lutheran Church in Henrietta, and the Presbyterian Church of Amenia.
Brian is survived by wife Judy Cook (Plattsburgh); sons Paul Cook (Lisa, Westminster, Colorado) and Jason Cook (Kelley, Plattsburgh); grandchildren Aaron Cook (Plattsburgh), Ruth Cook (Westminster, Colorado), Claire Cook (Plattsburgh), and Julia Cook (Westminster, Colorado); siblings Kevin Cook (New Paltz) and Judy Westfall (Doug, Millerton); and niece Alyssa Valerio (Michael, Wethersfield, Connecticut).
He was predeceased by his parents and brother Gerry Cook.
A memorial service will be held on Monday, July 22, 2024, at 11 a.m. at Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 10 Adirondack Lane, Plattsburgh, N.Y.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, 10 Adirondack Lane, Plattsburgh NY 12901.
Arrangements are in the care of the Hamilton Funeral Home, 294 Mannix Road, Peru, (518) 643-9055. To make a floral purchase, offer an online condolence, share a symbolic gesture, or share a photo in memory of Brian Scott Cook please visit www.hamiltonfuneralhome.com
"They had this in mind from last year," girls varsity head coach Les Funk of Pine Plains said. Funk said the young team wanted the sectional title and "never gave up," until they won it Wednesday, March 5, at Mount Saint Mary College.Photo by Nathan Miller
Naveah Rennie, no 34 of Pine Plains, was the Bombers' dominant scorer, racking up 20 points by the end of the matchup against S.S. Seward Institute during the Section IX Class C finals at Mount Saint Mary College on Wednesday, March 5.Photo by Nathan Miller
Lent: Time to consider social gospel movement
We are entering the annual Christian season of Lent this week.With its 40 days of contemplation and “little Easter” Sundays, it is a time to remember the healing ministry and the sacrifice of Jesus.During this season, we are invited to think deeply about our role as agents of grace and love in our hurting world.
There is a long history of making sacrifices and commitments for Lent, modeling our discipleship and hopes for a more heavenly world. It is through this lens that I invite you to join us in considering what gifts and services the community needs that we can commit to bringing forth in the weeks leading up to Easter.While many lean into solitary introspection during Lent, it may be particularly advantageous to use our meditations and sacrifices for the greater good this year.
John Wesley, the founder of Methodism, advised his followers centuries ago that “The gospel of Christ knows of no religion, but social; no holiness but social holiness. Faith working by love is the length and depth and breadth and height of Christian perfection.”These words are connected to the firm belief of Wesley that a Methodist was fundamentally one who loved God with all their heart, mind, strength, and soul, along with loving one’s neighbor as oneself.He believed that being in love with God naturally also required loving other people, as every person was a beloved soul coming from the same source of life that we are.
Consequently, Wesley stood against slavery long before it was a popular view, prioritized caring for those who were poor and imprisoned, and made a point to do good to as many as he could for as long as he was physically able.
Indeed, the Methodists are not the only Christians who believe such things.These thoughts are primary messages of the Christian faith.In more recent history, we can note that during the time of the Golden Age, at the end of the late 19th century, the Christians mobilized to counteract the abject poverty, child labor, dangerous working conditions, and lack of education of the time.Famous theologians such as Washington Gladden, Walter Rauschenbusch, and W.E.B. DuBois began the Social Gospel movement, enacting with new verve the passion of Christ that empowers the community toward building the Kingdom of God.As Christians, they believed in uplifting the downtrodden and creating a community where all had a chance to thrive.Child labor laws were enacted, better working conditions were secured, Sunday School helped provide education, settlement houses were created, and the Salvation Army was born.
The social gospel movement continued in another wave of reforms and empowerment through the Civil Rights era.Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. gave his intellect, energy, and life to help secure the reforms that enabled persons of color to vote, go to non-segregated schools, and have the right to share public spaces without discrimination.Like Christ, he paid the ultimate price for his prophetic vision.However, his impact on our society was formidable, lasting far beyond his short lifetime.
As Christians, it is very clear what to do in times of hardship, crisis, or challenge.Throughout the centuries, our call has been to help heal the world, doing whatever we can to uplift and transform loneliness into community, reminding each one how precious they are and how important it is to unite for the sake of the whole.Individually, the challenges can be overwhelming, even too much to bear.Collectively, we can do all things through the One who strengthens us.As they say, “We have the receipts!” We can do it again.
This Lent, let us give up our pessimism and fear, replacing it with a commitment to community and hope.Yes, things can seem dreadful, but our souls are not served by allowing ourselves to descend into the dark.We are keepers of the light.Let us do all within our power to create brightness so that its warmth may strengthen all as we live into the Social Gospel movement for our time.Chin up, friends, we can do this.We simply must be willing to get serious about doing it together.
Rev. Dr. Anna Crews Camphouse is pastor of Canaan, Lakeville, Millerton, and Sharon United Methodist Churches
Lead Pastor of the Northwestern Hills Cooperative
Parish UMC