WILL COOK IS DEAD, AGE 73 - Onetime Blairite was a Grocer Here, Later Phone Company Head

Victim of a sudden heart attack, William P. Cook, 73, former Blairite collapsed and died Monday evening at his home, 1830 Spencer St, Omaha.

Funeral services for Mr. Cook will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Fitch & Cole Mortuary, 3618 Farnam St., in Omaha. The Claire Funeral Home of Papillion has charge of arrangements, and interment will be in the Blair Cemetery. The family requests that donations be sent to Children’s Hospital in Omaha in lieu of sending flowers for the funeral.

Mr. Cook was once a grocer in Blair, and in addition managed the first independent telephone system here. He moved to Omaha with his family in the mid-20’s and entered the real estate business.

Mr. Cook’s parents were Mr. and Mrs. Joe S. Cook, early Blairites. The elder Mr. Cook served as county clerk and county treasurer here.

Surviving the former Blair man are his wife; three sons, William Jr., Earl and Robert Cook, all of Omaha; and four daughters, Mrs. R. W. Downes (Helen) of Dallas, Tex., Mrs. Barlow Nye (Jeanette) and Mrs. Earl Giesler (Edith), both of Kearney and Mrs. William Haberstroh (Margaret) of Louisville, Ky.

There are 14 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.

#2-8 Feb., 1951 - The Enterprise, Blair, NE

WM. P. COOK IS HEART VICTIM

Wm. P. Cook, a former resident of Blair, died suddenly of a heart attack at his home in Omaha Tuesday night at 10:10 o’clock.

Deceased was the son of the late Mr. and Mrs. Joe Cook, both prominent in Blair in the earlier days. He was born near Admah in the northwest corner of the county where his father had taken a homestead.

Later the family moved to Blair when the father was elected to a county office and here Will was educated. At his death he was 73 years of age. When he was twenty one years of age he was married to Miss Josephine B. Pipher and to them seven children were born, all of whom are living.

In his early business career he was the manager of the Blair Telephone Co., which was an independent local company. After the company was sold to Bell Company he was cashier of the Ft. Calhoun State Bank. In the panic which took most of the banks of the county, the Calhoun bank failed and he moved to Omaha establishing the Cook Realty and Insurance Company in which business he continued until his death on February 6th.

Will was a congenial person and made many friends. From a boy up he was a friends to everyone.

The survivors are the wife and one sister, Miss Mary Cook of Blair and the children as follows: Mrs. R. W. Downes of Dallas, Texas; Mrs. Barlow Nye of Kearney, Nebr; Mrs. Earl Giesler of Kearney, Nebr.; Mrs. Wm. Haberstroh of Louisville, Kentucky; and three sons, Will, Earl and Rob of Omaha and fourteen grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held at 1:30 p.m. Friday at the Fitch-Cole Mortuary in Omaha, and interment will be made in the Blair cemetery with services at the grave side.

By request the flowers are to be sent to the Children’s Memorial Hospital of Omaha.

~~~Obituaries courtesy of the Nebraska Washington County Genealogical Society. Newspaper clippings on file in the Blair, Nebraska Public Library~~~

Find a Grave Memorial #109783938