Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory

William Henry Cook, M.D. 

William Henry (“Bill”) Cook, 92, passed away January 10, 2017, at Brightview Assisted Living in Edgewater, MD.  Bill was born May 6, 1924, on a dairy farm in Brownsville, Ontario, Canada, to the late Lloyd Cannell Cook and Gwendoline Freeman Cook.  An eager student, he graduated from the University of Western Ontario with a joint B.S/M.D. in 1947, and went on to receive a Ph.D. from the same university in 1951.  He moved to New York City for post-doctoral training in neurosurgery, and became a naturalized United States citizen.  He served as a surgeon in the U.S. Army in Okinawa from 1955 to 1957, attaining the rank of Major.  After leaving the Army, he joined a neurosurgery practice in Bridgeport, CT.  On May 21, 1960, he married Dorothy Janet Strong.  Bill and Dorothy lived in Stratford, CT, and raised three children.  They were very active in their local churches (First Presbyterian Church of Bridgeport, where they met, Bethany Church of the Christian and Missionary Alliance in Stratford, and Black Rock Congregational), and in many charitable works, especially Child Care of Greater Bridgeport (which later merged with Action for Bridgeport Community Development), dedicated to providing safe and affordable care for local children.  After Bill’s retirement, he and his wife travelled widely and then settled in Churchton, MD.  Bill was preceded in death by his brother Donald in 1994 and by his wife Dorothy in 2014, after 54 years of marriage.  He is survived by his children, Stephen (Catherine) Cook of Alexandria, VA, Elizabeth (James) Zsiga of Shady Side, MD, and Victoria (Lewis) Rolen of Benton, AR, and by six grandchildren, Tory Osborne, Joseph and Robin Zsiga, Jessica and Jonny Rolen, and Rebecca Cook.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Jamie A. Hulley Child Care Center, c/o ABCD, 1070 Park Ave., Bridgeport, CT, 06604.  A funeral service will be held on Sunday, Jan. 15 at 4:00 pm at Grace Evangelical Presbyterian Church in Davidsonville, MD. 


William Henry Cook, M.D.

William Henry Cook, M.D.

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