Clifford J. Cook, 83, died Monday, Feb. 13, 2017, at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Lewiston.
Cliff was born Nov. 13, 1934, to Asa and Carrie Cook of Juliaetta. He graduated from Kendrick High School in 1950, then served in the U.S. Army for two years. He attended the University of Idaho in Moscow, earning a bachelor's degree, and taught in Buhl, Idaho, and Quincy, Wash.
Cliff served in the Peace Corps with his wife, Margaret Seeck, in Malaysia, then earned his master's degree at Bloomington State University in Indiana. He moved to Massachusetts State University to work on his doctorate, and that's where his first son, Theodore, was born. They moved to Oswego, N.Y., where he taught English in college and high school. There, he became the father of two more sons, James and Jonathan.
After his marriage ended, he pursued extensive travels before moving back to the Northwest. Cliff has lived in the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley for the past 30 years. He loved gardening and painting, and his dogs were his constant companions. He will be missed by all who knew and loved him.
Cliff is survived by three sons and five grandchildren - Emerson, Elizabeth, Auden, Noah and Tess, as well as many nephews and nieces. Surviving siblings are Dorothy Zimmerman, Georgia Brotnov, Asa Cook, Lloyd Cook, Bob Cook, Mary Loomis, Bill Cook and Kathy Grinolds.
A family gathering will take place in early summer to honor his journey of life.
The family would like to express thanks to all the staff at the Idaho State Veterans Home in Lewiston for the excellent care he received over the past three years.
