Charles M. Cooke

Charles M. Cooke, "Charlie", age 74, of Clayton, passed away Saturday, January 21, 2023. He was born July 17, 1948 in Columbus, Ohio to the late Rev. Albert V. Cooke and Constance (nee Mitchell) Cooke. Charles earned his Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from Bowling Green State University. He was a research scientist for various contractors in the Materials Lab at WPAFB for over 40 years.

Charles was a life-long, long suffering Browns fan. He liked traveling especially to Hawaii. Charles was a collector of novels, comic books, action figures and LPs, and was a notoriously gifted air guitar player.

In addition to his parents, he was preceded in death by his brother Tony Cooke. Charles is survived by his wife of 50 plus years, Gayle Wiley; his 3 sons: Teman (Susan) Cooke, Kamani (Josephine) Cooke, Kareem (Tina) Cooke; grandchildren: Kamari, KamRon, Kamaron, Annali, Eriselle, along with his sisters, Sharon Cooke and Sheryl Fleming, and their families. He will also be greatly missed by the Wiley family ("The Wiley Dynasty") and a multitude of friends.

Charles was a loving family man, with a warm, kind, gentle manner. He had a way of connecting with people, who found him giving, welcoming, and compassionate. He was a great conversationalist, was very intelligent, and had a mischievous sense of humor. Charles made and kept friends easily, counting many life-long friends from childhood, college and work. His presence made the world a brighter place.

DAWG POUND FOREVER

Charles' Celebration of Life memorial event will take place at Holiday Inn in Fairborn (2800 Presidential Drive, Fairborn, OH 45324) on Saturday, February 4th, 2023 from 11:00AM to 2:00PM. Please wear items or clothing representing your favorite football team, as Charles was a staunch fan of the Cleveland Browns, and we want to honor that. Buffet lunch will be served from 11AM to 12:30PM, followed by conversation and sharing. Please do not bring alcohol.

Guests coming from out of town can make reservations to stay at the hotel for a discounted rate of $119/night by either following this link or by calling the Holiday Inn reservation department at (877) 390-5931 and requesting the group rate "Charles Cooke Celebration of Life". Please be sure to make any desired reservations by 5PM on Wednesday, Febuary 1st. (If you are able, kindly let us know -- by emailing teman@thcooke.com -- if you are reserving rooms so that we can make sure there are enough.)

We look forward to remembering and celebrating Charles with you!

To share a memory of Charlie or to leave a special message for his family, please click the 'Share Memories' button above.