George L. Cook Sr.

Passed away surrounded by his family May 17, 2015. Born December 30th 1924 in Sacramento to loving parents Carroll Adams Cook and Margaret Ivys Cook, and descended from a pioneer family that mined in the Grass Valley area. He met his high school sweetheart Jane O'Dea when they were in the ninth grade together at Kit Carson. They married January 25, 1945 when he returned from duty in the Army Air Corps in the Central and South Pacific, and they spent 70 happily married years together. He received three bronze stars for his service and was involved in the invasions of Kwajalein in the Marshall Islands, Saipan in the Mariana, Nadzab New Guinea, and Leyte in the Philippines. He was discharged in December of 1945. That year, he started selling real estate for Artz & Cook. In 1952, he became president and chairman of Sacramento Savings, and by 1960, became president and chairman of the board of El Dorado Savings. At the time of his death, he was serving as the chairman of the executive committee. George and Jane were the loving parents of 12 children: Jane (Tom Meuser), Susan (Jim Craig), Margaret (Brian Beauchamp), Catherine (Jerry Koewler), Elizabeth Ann, George (Susan), John (Cheri), Michael (Melissa), Stephen (Heather), Mark, James (René), and David (Rachelle). He was beloved by his children, his 32 grandchildren, his 24 great-grandchildren, a large extended family, and many friends. George was preceded in death by his daughter Elizabeth Ann and his brothers, Carroll B. Cook, William A. Cook, and Robert C. Cook. He is survived by his sister Margaret Leary and his sister-in-law Lucille Ratermann (Andrew). Over the years, he developed more than 25 subdivisions in Sacramento, El Dorado, and Amador Counties. He served on the board of directors at Teichert for 42 years and became president of the Sacramento Real Estate Board in 1961. He was president and chairman of El Dorado Savings from the 1960s to the 1990s, and in recent years, was chairman of the executive committee. Over the years, he served on the boards of Fruitridge Vista Water Company, Jesuit High School, Christian Brothers High School, the National Alliance of Businessmen, Sacramento Regional Foundation, and the California Savings & Loan League. He was a member of the Sacramento Host Committee, Grandfathers Club, Sacramento Symphony Foundation, Barton Memorial Hospital Foundation, Pfund Family Foundation, and the Diocese of Sacramento Investment Committee. Memorials may be made in his memory to the Sacred Heart School Foundation.