CAMDEN - John Ralph Cook, husband, father, veteran, Mason, Shriner, engineer, builder, cabinet maker, and friend to many, died Monday, March 30, 2009, following a long illness. He was 87 years old. Born in West Virginia, he was the son of Custis Davis and John Marshall Cook. A month after Pearl Harbor he joined the Marines and served for three years in the Pacific theater and achieved the rank of Master Gunnery Sergeant. He returned to serve in the Korean conflict in 1950-51. After receiving his degree in mechanical engineering at the University of Kentucky in 1952, with his wife Pauline and daughter Janis, John settled in Camden. He was part of the first group of young engineers hired by the DuPont May Plant. In 1977 John and Polly went to Iran, where John was part of a group of DuPont engineers hired to oversee the completion and start-up of a textile plant outside of Isfahan, an experience was cut short in 1978 by the Iranian Revolution. In 1981, John retired from DuPont to begin second a retirement that was equally active as his working life. Over the next 28 years, he devoted much of his time to building and woodworking. He also increased his involvement at church and in the community. He was enormously generous with his talents. He built a suite of furniture for the First Baptist Church offices, installed a ramp for a friend confined to a wheelchair, made the benches for Memorial Park, volunteered for Habitat For Humanity, and helped to maintain the facilities at Zemp Stadium. An athlete in his youth, in high school he lettered in baseball, basketball and football. John was a steady supporter of the Camden Bulldogs and served as president of the Bulldog Club. In the 1960s he was president of the Camden chapter of the American Red Cross. A natural singer who relished the camaraderie and discipline of choral singing, he was a steadfast and enthusiastic member of the First Baptist Church choir. John Cook’s best legacy was his generosity. His warmth was physically expressed with hugs; laughter came easily and he traveled through life with a smile. The older he got, the better he became, cherishing life and maintaining his can-do, can-fix, can-build, will-help style that endeared him to many. In addition to his wife Polly and daughter Janis, he is survived by his son-in-law, Joel Rosenkranz. He is also survived by his siblings, Winaka Knopp, Veronica Lamond, and Richard M. Cook. Funeral service will be held Wednesday at 2:00 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Camden with burial to follow in Quaker Cemetery. The family will receive friends Wednesday from 12:30 until 2:00 p.m. prior to the service in the church fellowship center. In lieu of flowers, please make memorial donations to the South Carolina Wildlife Association.