Berkeley Cook

On September 22, 2023, Berkeley Cook, 82, of Hanover, passed away peacefully.  He proudly served his country as a member of the United States Army for 5 years, serving multiple tours during Vietnam.  While in the Army, he was stationed in both Vietnam and Thailand.  He was chosen for linguist school and spoke fluent Vietnamese. He later worked for NSA until he retired.

Berkeley loved motorcycles and enjoyed riding with his friends. An avid reader and a history buff, he had extensive knowledge of the Civil War era. He was a friend of Bill W’s for 48 years.  Berkeley enjoyed watching TV, especially westerns and the cowboy movies on the GRIT channel. He looked forward to his weekly “Tuesday High Tea” at the Baltimore Tea & Coffee in Odenton with his dear friend Phongsee.  He was a close friend to the late Thomas Penn, who he met while serving in Vietnam, and they remained lifelong friends.  When Tom married Phongsee, Berkeley became a part of their family.  He enjoyed a good meal and especially liked french onion soup and tomato basil soup, Thai chicken and rice, or just a simple PB&J.  He had a particular fondness for a good hotdog.  It would be nothing for him and Tom to drive to Pennsylvania, New Jersey or New York just for lunch in search of a good hotdog and then return home. Berkeley was a very intelligent and independent person and liked to live a simple life.  He is also survived by many other close friends.