Jetty R. Cook, Lt. Col. (Ret), USAF, age 91 of Hunt, passed away Tuesday, September 6, 2016 in Kerrville.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Roy C. and Lollie Cook of Big Spring, TX; brothers, Curtis Cook of Owasso, OK and Alvis Cook of Hemet, CA; sisters, Francine Cambell of Hobbs, NM, Lucille Hopper of Big Spring, TX and Myrtle Winkler of Long Beach, CA; and son, Dale Cook of Birmingham, AL.
He is survived by wife, Wanda Cook of Hunt, TX; son, Charles (Vera) Cook of Roberta, GA; daughter, Susan (Jim) Tallas of Sugarland, TX; 7 grandchildren; 10 great-grandchildren; and sister, Beatrice Crum of Marietta, GA.
Jetty Cook was born on September 29, 1924 in Coahoma, TX. His childhood years were spent in Big Spring, TX where he was in the class of 1943 of Spring High School. He entered the U.S. Army Air Corps and was called to active duty in March of 1943. He served in the European Theater of Operation during World War II on a B-17 crew. On July 20, 1944, his plane was shot down and crashed in Belgium. He was able to parachute to safety and evaded capture by the Germans with the help of the Belgian Resistance with whom he established a life-long relationship. He was freed when Belgium was liberated by U.S. Forces.
He received a direct commission of 2nd Lieutenant during the Korean War in 1952 and served in various command and staff positions until his retirement in 1975 for a total length of service of 33 years.
He served overseas tours of duty in Italy, Panama, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Spain. At the time of his retirement in 1975 he was a Squadron Commander at Torrejon AB, Spain (Madrid, Spain).
His military decorations include the Purple Heart and the Air Medal (w/1 Oak Leaf Cluster), plus numerous others, including the NASA Public Service Medal.
After retiring from the military he was hired by the Boeing Company as its Logistics Manager, Zaragoza Air Base, Spain. In early 1978 he was transferred to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida as Boeing’s Project Manager to provide logistical support to KSC Institutional and Space Shuttle Operations.
After the Challenger Space Shuttle Accident he transferred to Pan Am Services Company as Support Services Manager at the National Laboratory in Los Alamos, New Mexico, where he worked until his retirement in 1988.
In 1988 he and his wife retired to the Hill Country of Texas.
Lt. Col. Cook was a member of the Air Forces Escape & Evasion Society, the Air Force Association, and 92nd Bomb Group Association.
Graveside services will be held at 10:15 AM, Friday, September 9, 2016 at Ft. Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, TX, officiated by Rev. Bill Bischoff.
A link to the obituary and the funeral chapel are to be found at http://grimesfuneralchapels.com/obituaries/jetty-r-cook/1125/ .