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COOKE -- James Joseph Cooke, former resident of Albuquerque for 53 years, passed away August 27, 2007. Jim was born July 31, 1921 in the Yorkville section of New York City during the depression. He served two years in the CCC's, Civilian Construction Corp., in the Black Rock Desert in Winnemucca, Nevada and fell in love with the West. When WWII started in 1941, Jim enlisted in the army and was shipped to England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland. In 1944, he landed at Utah Beach; then participated in 5 battle campaigns, Normandy, Northern France, Ardennes, Rhineland, and Central Europe. After returning home, Jim enrolled in the New York Institute of Photography where he met Sylvia Rosen who worked there. Upon graduation, he not only received a diploma, but a wife, who also had the dream of moving West. After a few years living in NY, they escaped and moved to Albuquerque, NM, where they lived for 53 years, raising three children, James A. Cooke, Diane Cooke, and Robert Cooke. A highlight of Jim's life was building a cabin homestead in the Brazos in Northern New Mexico, which he wrote about in his 'memoirs'. He wrote, "During this time we managed to purchase a small lot up in the northern mountains of New Mexico, near Chama, where we camped on weekends for many years as a family and little by little we began to build a cabin which is where our son Bob lives today. We spent many wonderful hard working years up there on weekends building the place, thirty years to be exact until we became too old to maintain the place." Jim is survived by his wife of 60 years, Sylvia; son, James A. Cooke and his wife, Charlene, of Fort Collins, Robert C. Cooke and his wife, Rhonda of Dulce, NM and their daughter, Rossi; daughter, Diane G. Cooke of Seattle; granddaughters, Jennifer Ford and her husband, Damon Ford, their daughter, Kaitlyn, and Crystal Cooke and friend, Brady McEwen; and his cousin, Helen Doherty and her husband, John of Holland, Ohio. Jim will be laid to rest with a Military Service at the National Cemetery in Santa Fe, New Mexico, on Friday, September 14, 2007 at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to Hospice of Larimer County in care of Resthaven Funeral home at 8426 South Highway 287, Fort Collins, CO 80525. The family can be contacted via JimCookeRemembered@comcast.net. Jim had loved reading all of his life and fishing in the Brazos River. His motto was "THERE'S ALWAYS A WAY!"
        Published on: Sun September 02, 2007