After battling several long-term illnesses, Richard Loyd (Dick) Van Cook died Monday, March 6, 2023, with his loving daughter, Jill, by his side. He was 85 years old.
Dick is predeceased by his parents, Loyd and Catherine (Kay) Van Cook, and his wife of 48 years, Genevieve (Jean) Gluer Van Cook. He is survived by his daughter, Jill, and son, Kyle, and several nieces and nephews.
Dick was born on March 28, 1938 in the Bronx, in New York City. However, most of Dick’s life was lived on Harmony Lane in Coldenham, New York. As a boy he walked two miles from his home to attend the one-room school house on Berea Road. He graduated from Montgomery High School in June 1956. After high school, Dick joined the U.S. Army in 1956 and served primarily as a Military Police officer stationed in the Panama Canal Zone. He was honorably discharged in 1962. After his service in the Army, Dick began a career as a correction’s officer, first at Greenhaven Correctional Facility and then at Wallkill Correctional Facility. After 38 years of service, he retired in 2000. In his retirement, Dick and Jean enjoyed spending time with neighbors and dear friends, Dick and Loretta Holman, friends, Babe and Barbara Mangione, and traveling to Myrtle Beach to visit life-long friends, the McCulloughs. In his later years, Dick and his daughter, Jill, would take day trips to Honesdale to spend time with Jon and Val Cheripko and their daughter, Julia Kromko, and son-in-law, Jake. Family and friends remember Dick as a man who kept his word, never refused a request for help, had an infectious smile, and gave the warmest welcome into his home.
A celebration of life will be held this spring. Memorial contributions may be made to the Town of Montgomery Volunteer Ambulance Corps, PO Box 25, Walden, NY 12586 or montgomeryambulance.org.
Funeral arrangements are by the Gridley-Horan Funeral Home, Inc.