“We plan to have a celebration of his life’s service in Fairfield” sometime in May or June, she said.
In May 2005, Cook retired as the Fairfield mayor and as an elementary school principal in the Kings school district in Warren County. He then relocated to South Carolina where he could spend time with his grandchildren.
Cook had served in the Fairfield school district, as principal at South Elementary, the middle school and high school.
Cook’s son Chris said his dad had deteriorated quickly in the last six weeks. What made it more difficult was as his body gave out, his mind was still sharp, Chris said.
A “rock hard handshake” and boisterous laugh, which Chris said used to embarrass him a little, were his dad’s trademarks.
“He was a wonderful man... his personality was so strong and so big,” Chris said. “You couldn’t go into a room and not know he was there. That’s the type of person he was.”
Fairfield Mayor Ron D’Epifanio, who knew Cook for 25 years, said he had a unique way with people and he was loved for it.
“I didn’t know anyone who loved life more than Erick Cook,” D-Epifanio said. “He loved his job as an educator. He probably wouldn’t have retired when he did had it not been for his grandchildren.”
Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4525 or dcallahan@coxohio.com.
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