Christopher Cook

Christopher Cook was a vivacious man with an adventurous spirit that took him soaring straight down with a bungee cord attached or cheering on his favorite driver in the NASCAR circuit. He possessed a fun-loving spirit but most of all, Christopher was a protector through and through. Chris was deeply protective of the people he loved throughout his life, and everyone knew that the sun rose and set with his beloved sons. Although his days ended far too quickly, he made a significant impact in the hearts and lives of all those within his reach.

The 1970s were a time like no other in America as the Watergate scandal shook up Washington like never before. The culture within our nation experienced an overhaul with the birth of several new genres of music including hard rock, punk rock, and heavy metal just to name a few. The sports world watched Wayne Gretzky play hockey, Sugar Ray Leonard dominate in the boxing ring, and Richard Petty became a household name within the world of NASCAR. Also during this time, Michael and Sheryl (Van Kampen) Cook, of Kalamazoo, Michigan, were thrilled with the birth of the fifth child into the family, Christopher, on February 6, 1978. Born at Borgess Hospital during the blizzard of 1978, no one was able to visit him in the hospital as the area roads were too treacherous for travel. From his earliest days, Christopher quickly became his momma’s boy. When he was brought home from the hospital, he joined older siblings Charrie, Michelle, Michael T., and Wendy C. Christopher in the Cook family, and was particularly close to Wendy as they were only separated by a little more than a year.

From an early age, Christopher was protective of his family whom he adored. He and the men in the Cook family stuck up for their family when they needed to. As a child, he would often sit with his mother, enjoying her tender touch for up to 30 minutes at a time. Chris simply called this “recharging his batteries.” His family describes him as a bit of a character when he was young and very much a scrapper as well. Chris liked to bring laughter and life to the Cook home, taking labels off cans forcing his family to guess the mystery contents. He was also adventurous and bungee cord jumped from the highest height offered in Las Vegas on one occasion. Christopher attended local schools and graduated from Delton-Kellogg High School in 1996.

Christopher’s work took him in many different directions throughout the years. While still in high school, he worked in the baggage handling area at the Gerald R. Ford Airport with his father. Chris also worked for Fleetwood Homes, Jack’s Wholesale Windows, and Best Buy Used Car Sales. In fact, it was his job at the car dealership that set the stage for his introduction to the young woman who would capture his heart.

Her name was Mindy Calkins and she came into Best Buy Used Cars to look around and test drive a car one fateful day. Christopher was happy to be her salesman and kept giving her “googly eyes” as he was quite smitten with her. From that point forward, Chris called her everyday to see of she sold her previous car, although he was hoping for a bit more than just an answer to his question. Persistence paid off for Chris, however, since after a month-and-a-half, they finally got together. Their relationship quickly blossomed and soon, Mindy moved in with Chris as she was completely enamored with his crystal blue eyes. They made their love official on June 26, 2004, when they became husband and wife. Christopher and Mindy combined their two families that included his sons, Austin and Riley, as well as her son Hunter. Soon, the newlyweds were blessed with two sons together: Kobe and Kaden. Christopher loved being a father and was actively involved in the lives of his children, especially their sports endeavors.

With his leisure time, Christopher enjoyed a variety of interests. He loved cars and was even a bit of a car-freak, especially for model cars. Christopher loved NASCAR racing and this year, he was rooting for the old man on the circuit, Mark Martin. He enjoyed listening to music – Metallica and Ozzie Osbourne were among his favorites and more recently, he began listening to country music. He satiated his love for adventure often, perhaps leading him to total numerous cars, and he even bungee cord jumped again, this time with his wife Mindy in Mexico.

Life was not without struggles for Christopher. On March 26, 2005, his son Austin died – a victim of a car accident. In many ways, parents are ill-equipped to bury their children, Chris finding some solace in treasuring the special things his son Austin left behind, especially his jerseys and medals.

Christopher Cook was an ambitious man who rarely sat still with a diverse palate of interests. It was common knowledge that the greatest days of Christopher’s life were the days that each of his children were born, his children his greatest source of pride and joy. He will be remembered for being protective of those he loved and for his zest for life and adventurous spirit. Christopher will be dearly missed by all those he leaves behind.

Christopher M. Cook of Kentwood died on August 4, 2009. Chris is survived by his wife, Mindy; four children: Hunter, Riley, Kobe, and Kaden; his mother: Sheryl Cook, of Wayland; father: Michael (Patti Hammond) Cook, of Silver Lake; siblings: Charrie (Todd) Finklestein, of CA; Michelle (Bob) Jorgensen, of CA; Michael T. (Casey) Cook, of OH; Wendy C. (Brad) Davis of Richland. Chris is also survived by mother-in-law and father-in-law: Tamsen (Rodney) Keith, of Wyoming; Father-in-law: Thomas Calkins, of Cedar Springs; grandfather, Donald C. Kennedy, Jr. of Wyoming; brother and sister-in-law: Lucas (Candis) Calkins, of Cedar Springs; nieces and nephews: Jeffrey, Dawn, Brett, Leah Rae, Micayla, Melana, Aaliyah, Arielle. Visit with Christopher’s family and friends on Sunday from 2-5, with a Scripture Service at 5 p.m. at the Life Story Funeral Homes, Plainwell Chapel, 120 S. Woodhams. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at the St. Cyril Catholic Church at Gun Lake on Monday at 11 a.m. Please visit Christopher’s memory page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you can archive a favorite memory or photo, sign his memory book online before coming to the funeral home, or make a memorial donation to a trust fund being setup for his children.