Chester William Cooke
Chester William Cooke, 86, died July 12 in Bath, Maine. He was born in Wallingford, Connecticut, on August 4, 1934, and was an alumnus of the Choate School, Wallingford, and the Loomis School, Windsor, Connecticut. He graduated from Bowdoin College, Brunswick, Maine, in 1957, where he was a member of Psi Upsilon fraternity. Cooke was an officer of New Haven Savings Bank and an appraisal consultant for Connecticut Savings Bank, both of New Haven, retiring in 1992.
Music was one of his greatest interests, and for many years Cooke volunteered as an editor for the Institute of Sacred Music at Yale University. An active alum of Bowdoin College, he served for six years as class agent for the Class of 1957. He was also a member of Bowdoin’s planned giving committee and mentored many students. When residing in Wallingford and Stony Creek, Connecticut, he was active in the Congregational church of both communities, while also a member of the Connecticut Academy of Arts and Sciences and the Graduate Club of New Haven. He moved to Highland Greens in the Brunswick, Maine, area in 2003. Cooke was a frequent contributor to causes for the advancement and appreciation of the pipe organ, including recitals and various organ building projects, particularly for Bowdoin College and the Organ Historical Society.
Chester William Cooke is survived by several cousins. Burial took place on August 4, what would have been his 87th birthday, in the family burial space in Wallingford, Connecticut. Memorial contributions may be made to the Cooke–Psi Upsilon Scholarship Fund, Bowdoin College, 4100 College Station, Brunswick, Maine 04011.
Andrew Cooper John
Andrew Cooper John, 70, died July 18 in Edmond, Oklahoma. Born April 29, 1951, in Winter Haven, Florida, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in physics from Georgia Tech University in 1973 and his Doctor of Medicine degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry in 1977. As a physician, he served as an emergency room doctor, as the director of an emergency physicians’ practice, as a forensic examiner and expert witness, and as a physician in the federal prison system.
John earned a Juris Doctor degree summa cum laude from Oklahoma City University in 1997 while maintaining his full-time medical practice. Upon his retirement in 2016, he attended Nashotah House Theological Seminary in Nashotah, Wisconsin. John was an active member of several congregations, including St. Mary’s Episcopal Church and St. Elijah Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church, both in Edmond.
John was an organist who began playing in childhood and supported himself through college by playing for Sunday services in Atlanta. He also studied at the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester during his medical training. In addition to accompanying services for congregations throughout the Oklahoma City metro area, John played numerous recitals, including many on a custom-built, 19-rank Gabriel Kney organ in his home in Forest Park, Oklahoma. John was an avid amateur radio operator, and he served in various capacities for the Edmond Amateur Radio Society (EARS), including as president, class instructor, and volunteer examiner.
Andrew Cooper John is survived by his wife of thirty years, Peggy John (Tibessart); brothers Joel John of Clearwater, Florida, and Timothy John of Tallahassee, Florida; sons Andrew (Christi) John of Edmond, Oklahoma; Daniel John of Hollywood, Florida; Todd Meyer of Edmond, Oklahoma; and John (Barbara) Meyer of Monticello, Florida; daughter Wendy Meyer of Holdenville, Oklahoma; and two grandchildren. Memorial services were held July 31 at St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Memorial gifts may be given to St. Mary’s Episcopal Church or to the Free to Live Animal Sanctuary, both in Edmond, Oklahoma.
