COOKE - Edgar Douglas, 87, died in Comox on the evening of November 12, 2008, of a sudden heart attack.
Born September 10, 1921, in Bristol, England, Edgar served in the Second World War as a radioman, winning a medal for bravery at Anzio. He married his life-long love Nita Burch on October 4, 1947. They had two children, Michael and Alan, born to them in Bristol. Edgar and family emigrated to Canada in 1952, settling in Edmonton. Two more children were born to them in Canada: Nicholas and Christine. His university education shortened by the war, he worked as a lab technician for Husky, CIL, and Syncrude (joining Syncrude in their initial beginnings at a camp on Mildred Lake).
He had many interests, and was a life-long learner long before it became a common phrase. He studied languages, art, music, and gourmet cuisine. He did many things: climbed mountains, rallied cars, panned for gold, sailed, built a canoe, wrote articles for magazines, hot-air ballooned, kayaked, and ran marathons. He began running at the age of 53, and went on to run marathons in London and Stockholm. In their later years he and his wife Nita travelled extensively.
Edgar is survived by his wife, Nita Cooke (neé Geraldine Annette Burch), in Comox; his children Michael, Alan, and Nicholas Cooke, and Christine Hodgson; and their spouses and children. His grand-children Nitla and Ariel Cooke-Zamora of Nicaragua, Karen Beddard of Ottawa, Cameron Friesen-Cooke of Vancouver, and Rachael Hodgson of Comox all loved him and miss him.
A memorial gathering will be held on Wednesday November 19th at 11 a.m. on the fourth floor at The Berwick, 1700 Comox Avenue.