Raymond Willard Cook

Early Years

Raymond W. Cook was born in Northumberland, New York on January 10, 1929. He was the 10th and youngest child of an already middle-aged Walter (47) and Myrtle (44) Cook.^1-6 Ray's eldest four siblings were already adults and out of ths house at this point, and there was a 7-year gap between himself and his elder brother, George. It's likely that Ray came as quite the surprise to his aging parents.

Were there any additional children or miscarriages between the birth of Raymond and their previous child, George?

In 1930, the family was renting a farm at 267 King Road, where his father worked as a farmer. Immediately next door lived Ray's maternal grandmother, the widowed Margaret King and her six adult children.¹ Based on proximity and family ties, it is likely that Walter and Myrtle rented their farm from Margaret.

An older man named Joseph Hoey resided on the farm and earned his wages helping Walter on the farm, as he had for years.

1940’s

In the 1940 census, Ray's father is shown to be the owner of the family farm in Northumberland, which was then valued at $1,500. ² They likely inherited the farm from Margaret, who died in 1934, though further research on this is needed. The census does confirm the family was living at this same farm in 1935 as well, though we cannot determine through this source along if they owned it at that time.

Is this the same farm? Check property records and probate records for Margaret King around 1934 to make this determination.

Ray attended school, while his two older brothers, Walter and George, helped their father and Joseph out on the farm.

What school did Ray attend during this time?

In November of 1948, when old family friend and farm hand Joseph Hoey passed away, Ray and his brothers served as pall bearers at the funreal at St. Mary's Cemetery.⁷

In February of 1949, 20 year-old Ray became engaged to 16 year-old Barbara Petteys. Three months later, on May 1, 1949, they were married in Wilton.^17-18

Barbara Petteys and Ray Cook at their wedding in 1949.

When and how did they meet?

1950’s

Around 1950, Ray had taken a job at Stewart's, a popular, and quickly growing ice cream company run by the Dake Brothers. He covered a wide territory in the area, selling and delivering ice cream door-to-door around Bacon Hill, Wilton, Jonesville, Rexford, Cambridge, Schaghticoke, and Johnsonville.^8-10

In the summer of 1951, Ray and Barbara welcomed their first child - a daughter named Donna.

In 1952, 23 year-old Ray and family were living at 48 Franklin in Saratoga Springs, property granted to them by Ray's parents^9,11.

In the spring of 1953, their second daughter, JoAnn, was born.

Barbara and Ray with daughters, JoAnn and Donna.

Later that same fall, Ray's eldest sister, Elsie Winney, died of breast cancer.

Around 1956, Ray expanded upon his sales skills by taking a part-time job selling vacuum cleaners at Kirby's Glen Falls office.¹⁰

In the fall of 1958, Ray and Barbara sold their Saratoga property and moved the family to Beecham Town Road in Clinton county. There, Ray managed the Kirby Center of Plattsburgh.^10,12-15

In January of 1959, Ray and Barbara's youngest child was born - a son named Thomas.

1960’s

In 1962, Ray became the Kirby distributor out of their Utica office.¹⁰

Two years later, in 1964, he became distributor out of their Syracuse office.¹⁰

In 1968, Ray and family packed up and moved to the midwest. They put down roots and made their home on Monaco Drive in Warson Woods, Missouri, where they lived for many years to follow. ^5,10,19-20

Ray began working on the factory sales staff at Kirby. He worked as an employee in this position for six months before being promoted to Divisional Supervisor for the Central States Division. Under Ray's management, the division went from producing around 700 sales per month to producing over 8,000 per month.¹⁰

1970’s

In January of 1978, Ray's father, Walter Cook, passed away in Saratoga, New York.

1980’s

1990’s

In the spring of 1996, after 40 years, Ray retired from Kirby. He and Barbara had bought a summer house at Lake of the Ozarks, and a condo in Fort Myers, Florida, and they passed their time between the two, enjoying their golden years and spending time with family.^6,10,21

later years

On December 20, 2012, at the age of 83, Ray passed away. He was buried in Affton at Sunset Memorial Park and Mausoleum.^4,14,16

1. 1930 US Census, Saratoga, New York, population schedule, Northumberland, enumeration district (ED) 46-33, sheet 11A, 267 King Road, Walter E. Cook household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed 10 February 2022); United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626, 2,667 rolls.. 2. 1940 US Census, Saratoga, New York, population schedule, Northumberland, enumeration district (ED) 46-42, sheet 13A, household 275, Walter Cook household; digital images, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed 10 February 2022); United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Sixteenth Census of the United States, 1940. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records. 3. Ancestry.com, New York State, Birth Index, 1881-1942 (Albany, NY, USA: New York State Department of Health, n.d.), Raymond W. Cook, 10 Jan 1929, Northumberland, New York, cert no. 5937. 4. Ancestry.com, U.S., Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014 (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014), Raymond W Cook, 070-22-7169. 5. Ancestry.com, U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1 (Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010), Raymond W Cook, 10 Jan 1929. 6. Ancestry.com, U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 2 (Lehi, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010), Raymond W Cook, 10 Jan 1929. 7. "Funeral of Joseph Hoey," The Post-Star (Glens Falls, New York), 23 November 1948, p. 6; digital images, www.newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/347172782 : downloaded 13 February 2022); https://www.newspapers.com/image/477612072. 8. , "Ray Cook," Stewart's Scoop (Feb 1953): p. 3. 9. Saratoga Springs, New York, City Directory, 1952 (Saratoga Springs, New York, USA:n.p., 1952), p. 107, Raymond W. and Barbara A. Cook; digital image, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed 10 February 2022). 10. Dale Bartlemay, Kirby retiree, Cleveland, OH, USA, to Mr. Ray Cook, letter and excerpts from "kirby history, hearsay & heritage" manuscript, 8 September 1997, Ray Cook - Kirby History; Liza Reid's collection; privately held by Liza Reid, 1975 Grand Army Rd., Labadie, MO 63055. 11. New York, "United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975," FamilySearch, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:DCXB-R6MM : downloaded 13 February 2022), Walter and Myrtle to Raymond Cook, book 558, p. 537. 12. Plattsburgh, New York, City Directory, 1959 (Plattsburgh, New York, USA:n.p., 1959), p. 163, Raymond and Barbara Cook; digital image, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed 10 February 2022). 13. Plattsburgh, New York, City Directory, 1960 (Plattsburgh, New York, USA:n.p., 1960), p. 186, Raymond and Barbara Cook; digital image, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed 10 February 2022). 14. "Cook, Raymond W.," obituary, St. Louis Post-Dispatch (St. Louis, Missouri), 23 December 2012, p. A024; digital images, www.newspapers.com (: viewed 5 February 2022); https://www.newspapers.com/image/150578061. 15. New York. "United States, New York Land Records, 1630-1975," Raymond W and Barbara A Cook to Robert M Galusha, book 664, p. 153. 16. Find A Grave, "Find A Grave," database, Find A Grave, Find A Grave (www.findagrave.com: viewed 10 February 2022), https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/130641857/raymond-w.-cook. 17. "Engaged," engagement announcement, The Troy Record (Troy, New York), 18 February 1949, p. 13, col. 1; digital images, www.newspapers.com (: downloaded 13 February 2022); https://www.newspapers.com/image/58694412. 18. New York, USA, New York State, Marriage Index, 1881-1967, no. 9980, Raymond W. Cook, 1 May 1949; digital images, Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com : viewed 10 February 2022); New York State Marriage Index, New York State Department of Health, Albany, NY.. 19. , U.S., Public Records Index, 1950-1993, Volume 1, Barbara A Cook, 8 Oct 1932. 20. "Walter E. Cook," obituary, The Post-Star (Glens Falls, New York), 13 January 1978, p. 6; digital images, www.newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/347172782 : viewed 10 February 2022). 21. "Caroline Elizabeth (Loveland) Petteys," obituary, The Post-Star (Glens Falls, New York), 4 February 2000, p. 13; digital images, www.newspapers.com (https://www.newspapers.com/image/347172782 : viewed 14 February 2022); https://www.newspapers.com/image/347734357.

(1929 - 2012)