Obituary of Charles Alfred Cooke

Charlie was born in Saint John, NB to Jean (Shuve) and Edward Cooke in July of 1935. He was the second child and the only son. He is survived by all five of his sisters: Anna Kirkbride, Carol (Laurence) Allen, Beverly Bate, Jane (Maurice) Wong, and Alison (Boris) Pavlin. Charlie believed that not everyone had a best friend, besides their spouse, but he was lucky enough to have two lifelong best friends, Ralph Craig and Peter Leggett. Truth be told, he had so many cherished friends you could never really name them all. However, we wanted to mention a few the Stults’, Craig’s, Woodhouse’s, Leggett’s, Blois’, Britt’s, Nelson’s, the Teacher’s, and the Lutz’s. We are sorry we cannot name you all but you all held a special place in his life. Charlie arranged numerous ‘Gatherings’ of family and friends over the years. He did these in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Sebago Lake, ME and Largo, FL. His last ‘Gathering’ took place in July of 2023 in Belleisle, NB, with a reunion of 87 of his closest family and friends. Charlie was an avid sports fan and traveled to many hockey and ball games over his lifetime. He was an even bigger Sidney Crosby fan, believing that his younger self resembled the young hockey star. Charlie was a salesman and could talk, tell stories, and make connections with just about anyone he came across. He was outgoing and stayed in touch with his family, friends, and customers by phone and mail over the past few years. He was happiest when he was talking about sports and recounting stories from his past to his family and friends. Charlie is survived by his wife, Marion (Allen) of 67 years. His children: Bruce (Diana), Patti (Gordon), and Bob (Elaine). Along with his 9 grandchildren: Makenna (Michael), Josh, Jake, Maddie, Jennifer, James, (Tracy), Nicole (Graham), Bobby (Sarah), and Brad. He had 5 great grandchildren: Alexis, Everly, Cayde, Lennon, and Millie. Charlie is predeceased by: his parents and his brother-in-laws: Dr. George Bate and Dr. John Kirkbride. Charlie has been cremated as this was extremely important to him. He did not want people to be rushing to come when he passed as he had ‘Gatherings’ while he was alive to take part in them, as well as an opportunity to share memories and the many pictures he gathered over the years. Special thanks to Park West Medical Clinic (Dr. Eddie Kinley), EHS, Cobequid Center, QEII, and Abbie J. Lane Memorial Hospital for all the compassionate care that was given to him and his family during his final days. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Diabetes Society or a charity of your choice.