Kenneth R. Cook

Born May 1, 1951 in Glen Burnie, Kenneth “Cookie” Cook, loving son of William Robert and Rosa Kairis Cook, passed away on July 10, 2025. He is survived by his wife Nancy Daughton Cook, sisters Melody Sue and Linda Lee Cook, nieces Melissa Crouse and Lauren Daughton Smith, nephew Wesley Adam Daughton, great-nieces Addison Paige and Emily Nicole Smith and Rosalee Crouse and great-nephews Mason Wyatt Smith and Blake Robert Daughton.

He graduated from Glen Burnie Senior High School in 1969. A proud Army veteran, Ken returned from Viet Nam and worked as an auto mechanic at Montgomery Ward before becoming a Letter Carrier (“the whistling mailman” or “the Santa mailman”) with the U.S. Post Office in Severna Park. Ken took dance lessons at the Fred Astaire Dance Studio in Severna Park and competed in several competitions. In 1986 he met Nancy at the wedding of one of their dance instructors at the Woodlawn Studio and in 1987, they were married and embarked on a life of travel and sightseeing. They always considered their scrapbooks as their “children” and loved to go through them again and again. He even lent some of the scrapbooks to teachers on his mail route to use in their classrooms.

“Cookie” was an avid bowler until his health prevented him from participating, a voracious reader of “alternate history” and Louis L’Amour novels and an enthusiastic movie-goer (“the louder the better”). He was a member of the Civil War Roundtable at Anne Arundel Community College as well as the Oriole Branch of the Letter Carriers Association. In the fall, he became a Ravens fanatic and complained about every adverse call by the officials and then in the spring, he argued with the umpires about balls and strikes for and against the Orioles!

Like Will Rogers, “he never met a man he didn’t like”.

Family and friends are invited to visit the family owned and operated McCully Polyniak & Collins Funeral Home, P.A. 3204 Mountain Road Pasadena, Maryland 21122 on Monday July 14, 2025 from 3-5 PM. Military honors will be presented at 4 PM. Interment Private. 

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to The Army Emergency Relief Fund link below.