David Moore Cooke, 88

David Moore Cooke was born in Dyersburg, Tenn., on Jan. 3, 1935, to Mary Lois Moore and J.L. Cooke and passed away in Boundary County, Idaho, on Feb. 26, 2023.

Due to a facial injury from a fall as a toddler, he was deaf for much of his preschool life. After a number of surgeries, his hearing was mostly restored by the time he was a teen. His family moved to Utica, N.Y., when he was about 6 years old, where he spent his school-age years attending Kemble Street Grammar School and Utica Free Academy. A small ski hill with a rope tow was about a block from his house and he spent many after-school hours and evenings learning to be an expert skier. He made second place in New York state in a slalom skiing competition.

But his lifelong first love was flying airplanes! He got his pilot’s license as early as his age would allow and skipped his high school graduation ceremonies to take a friend flying with him! He earned his Seaplane rating on the Erie Canal in the Utica area.

After a short time working for Coca-Cola, he joined the Army and served in Korea for three years as crew chief mechanic for a Beaver airplane used in top-secret negotiations.

He used his G.I. bill to get his bachelor’s degree in Aeronautical/Aerospace engineering from Northrup University. He worked on the Athena high altitude research missiles, which were fired from Green River, Utah, as well as on The Apollo Moon Shot Command Module cryogenic fuel storage systems. But his love for airplanes was stronger than his love for rockets. So next, he became a flight instructor. He taught aerobatics for Art Scholl Aviation, which is where he met his wife, Marjorie, who was an aerobatic student there.

In 1971, they both relocated to Sandpoint, Idaho, where he worked for Tucker Engineering as a land surveyor. They were married in Hope, Idaho, in 1973, and shortly after that, he attended the University of Idaho at Moscow to get his secondary school teaching certificate.

He taught math and physics in Bonner County schools for 18 years. He loved teaching school in the winter and spending the summers as a flight instructor.

His second love has always been music. He started playing country/bluegrass guitar in high school and studied flamenco guitar when he was in engineering. He enjoyed playing in numerous bluegrass groups over the years and took up various other instruments, which he often played with his wife, Marjorie.

He has always loved his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and wanted to do what was right. He was baptized in the Tabernacle Baptist Church in Utica at about age 12. He always wondered why they always met on Sundays instead of the “Seventh day,” Sabbath as the fourth commandment requires. When he found a church that met on the correct day, he was happy to join and become an active member. He sleeps now in peace awaiting the resurrection trumpet of the Second Coming of Jesus.

He is survived by his wife, Marjorie of almost 50 years; his daughter by a previous marriage, Dana Hamric; two granddaughters and one great-grandson.

Family and friends are invited to sign David’s online guest book at www.coffeltfuneral.com.

Arrangements are under the care of Coffelt Funeral Service.