WILLIAM “BILL” RONALD COOK: Born March 17, 1939 in Grundy, VA, Bill passed away on August 10, 2026 at his current home of two years in Jefferson, GA. After graduating from East Tennessee State, Bill taught music and was the band director at Grundy High School for several years. He then pursued and was successful in pharmaceutical sales and cancer research studies before retiring in South Carolina. He was a talented and accomplished pianist and there was always a grand piano in his home. Another passion was living near the ocean and enjoying the water’s beauty and peacefulness, as well as sailing, boating, and fishing.
Bill’s lineage of “Cook” and “Ratliff” heritage is one that goes back many generations in the Grundy area. He is predeceased by: his parents, Bill & Etta [Ratliff] Cook of Grundy and later Abingdon, VA; his brothers Bob Cook of Abingdon, VA and Jim “Jimbo” Cook of Lake Lure, NC; and his wife Tessa Wadford Cook of Jefferson, GA.
Bill is survived by: his twin sons Jonathan Cook, MD of Durham, North Carolina; Joel Cook, MD of Charleston, SC; and his grandson, Angus Cook of Durham, NC; stepdaughter Angie Hollingsworth of Jefferson, GA and her family; and many beloved Ratliff and Cook cousins.
Bill’s arrangements are handled by Evans Funeral Home in Jefferson, GA; he will be laid to rest at Evans Memory Gardens. No formal services will be held at this time.
