Dave Cook

TUSCOLA: William David “Dave” Cook, 58, passed away at his home in Tuscola on Saturday, January 3, 2015. A visitation and prayer service will be held from 1 to 3:00pm, Saturday, January 10, 2014, at Fry~Smith Funeral Home, Tuscola; Pat Voce officiating.

Dave was born on October 24, 1956, to William L.J. and Thelma (Blackburn) Cook at Hendrick Hospital in Abilene. He grew up in the Abilene area graduating from Abilene High School. He moved from Abilene to Las Vegas to work in the commercial construction industry; while in Las Vegas he met JoAnn Fleischman and they married on May 8, 1983.

Dave’s main line of work was in commercial construction; but never one to be still, he learned the art of silk screening glass for gaming machines, he then learned how to hand letter the signs for area business.

Dave’s careers came to an end when an improperly installed bolt caused him to fall off scaffolding while on the job. He suffered a sever head injury that lead to his disability and early retirement.

He and Jo Ann moved to Tuscola to raise their children and to be closer to his family. Dave loved his family, and loved to laugh, he would watch after his kids and grandkids, and thanks to his family, Dave was able to continue in his favorite pastime of working on cars. Dave was able to tell what was wrong with a car or truck and what it would take to fix it, even though he could not do the work.

He is survived by his wife of 31 years, JoAnn Cook of Tuscola; daughters, Danielle Tatum and husband Alex of Tuscola, Jamie Cook of San Angelo; mother, Thelma Hendrix of Mansfield;  sister Debra Cook of Mansfield; uncle, Mike Cook of Tuscola; cousins, Lance Williams and Destry Cook; grandchildren Faith, Chase, and Kynlee.

He was preceded in death by his father.