William Joseph Cooke, PhD

Dr. William J. Cooke died November 4, 2021 after a hard fought battle against cancer. Born in Newark, NJ to William J. and Margaret Eileen Cooke, September 15, 1940. Bill was predeceased by his parents, brother Gregory and sister Dorothy

He graduated from Siena College in Loudonville, NY with a degree in Biology, a Masters of Science degree from The College of St. Rose in Albany, NY, and a PhD in Pharmacology from Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY. He did post-doctoral research at Dartmouth College in Hanover, NH before receiving a position in the Pharmacology Department at The University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worcester, MA.

Bill and Linda moved to Virginia Beach in 1977 for him to begin a 35 year career at Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, where he became chairman of the Pharmacology Department, and Associate Dean for Research. He was an active member of the Bayside Lion’s Club for many years serving as president for 2 terms.

Bill loved working with wood and would spend many satisfying hours in his backyard workshop building beautiful furniture. He always wanted to build a boat and when he completed the wooden sea kayak, he realized the greatest joy was not the paddling but the project itself. Bill loved a good joke but the man could never retell the same joke without saying “what was it again?” He had an infectious laugh and everyone who met him, loved him.