Family, Friends & Fellow Officers Remember...

You know Officer Cook, how to bring about a redemption? Turn pessimism into optimism. Something you did each day when you got up from sleeping. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero and lead us to lighter, gladder, joyful and honorable days that lie ahead.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 30, 2012

Intellect is in vain if it does not lead to emotion and emotion is useless if it does not lead to action. Your life Officer Cook, bore intellect, the emotion and passion you brought to the profession. Religion is of two kinds: deeds and creeds. Two scary words in the English language. They ring true as a bell. Your mission Officer Cook, was to bring a calmness and sanity to the community you knew and loved as you served and protected. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 30, 2012

Sacrifices were meant to improve the heart, a sort of cleansing from impurities. God alone sees the heart of man: we can only judge by outward appearances and because God looks into the heart of man, He sets value on man's will. Surely, a sincere wish to do good is what is pleasing in God's sight. if a man projected the performance of a meritorious action, but was prevented from performing it, it is regarded as if he had performed it. man must have the keen desire to do good. The sacrifice you made my dear neighbor, friend and hero, Officer Cook made, so others could live is the biggest feat the a person can do. You expended the effort to resolve a potentially violent situation and in doing so gave up your life and time in this world. Your priceless upbringing extended to your very mind, heart and all the pious deeds performed here and now that you are resting in peace, God is judging your cherished soul accordingly. Today, this morning I visited your grave and took a little time to clean around it. For your sacrifice, you deserve a little time. Your devoutness is seen as a good sign post along the avenues of life.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 30, 2012

The family life of a police officer speaks many times as to how that officer will discharge their duties on the streets. Your father, Charles, may he rest in peace was the symbol of strength in your home and your mother, Mrs. Julia Cook, may she live and be well was the rock who nurtured both you and your sister, Nancy into the individuals that you grew up and became successes in your endeavors. The morals taught to you served you very well as an officer. The knowledge you acquired and shared with others made them better people for having known you. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. Your faith, morals, knowledge and ideals will forever live on in your family. Once there no matter the outcome it never departs from your special loved ones.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 29, 2012

Let a person be as sturdy as the reed, and not as unbending as the cedar. Words to live by that should be the motto of all police officers. With the morals, ethics and understanding you so possessed, Officer Cook, it's no wonder during your tenure with the Metro-Dade Police department that you were recognized for your outstanding work. You were one to elevate a situation from bad to good because of these inane characteristics inbred in you. Sometimes either a person has what it takes to carry out the assignments, or they don't. Police officers do not always get a second chance once something goes terribly wrong. But, you'll forever be honored and reflected on for doing what had to be done. You attempted your very best to solve a serious problem when time was of the essence. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 29, 2012

Mercy, modesty and loving-kindness were traits of you, Officer Cook, that those who knew you personally and professionally will remember you for. A just and reasonable modesty does not only recommend eloquence, but sets off every great talent which a man can be possessed of. You were a man of many talents and the eloquence of how you pursued your every day passions speaks volumes of your fine and upstanding character. There is a saying that no one takes a beating like a bragger and you sir, my neighbor, friend and hero followed a humble life. One of the chief hindrances to humility is ignorance or lack of knowledge. A police officer needs to be sharp at all times and have a modest disposition which allowed you, Officer Cook, to bring out the best of your abilities. Rest in peace.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 29, 2012

Today Officer Cook, we live in an era of military parades and great exhibitions of armed strength. I'm sure when you were a recruit in the Police Academy at Miami- Dade Community College North Campus, you marched with your fellow recruits, as you did with your friend and fellow officer Chief Geoff Jacobs as drummers in the marching band. I want to recant the many pleasant memories you both had of being in high school and the police academy together. When you were presented with your badges, I'll imagine you went to Metro-Dade to work and the Chief went to Opa Locka police Department where he worked on the auto theft squad. The battles in the line of duty that you sometimes had to endure Officer Cook, enabled to you to sharpen your skills in dealing with domestic disputes. The courage and bravery you exhibited on May 16, 1979, reminds each and every officer in the line of duty just how careful they need to be when assessing a situation. You classmate and friend, Geoff Jacobs worked his way up the ranks, he paid his dues to his profession and now serves as Police Chief in Porterdale, Georgia outside of Atlanta. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero as you march to the beat in God's heavenly throne. I'm sure Chief Jacobs and you, Officer Cook, would have made great partners had he stayed in the Metro-Dade Police Department.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 29, 2012

Tomorrow would have been your fifty-ninth birthday. I'm certain your family, friends and colleagues who still remember that fateful day will pause for a moment at 2 pm or whenever to pay you homage for your your heroic actions in Liberty City that saved your fellow officers from death. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. You'll always be recognized by me as long as I'm able to.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 29, 2012

To everything there is season, and a time for every purpose under heaven. I'm sure Officer Cook, for all seasons these past thirty-three years you have been watching over us, you helping God guide us through thick and thin, in easy and difficult times. When May 16 comes we pause and reflect on the wonderful life you lived by practice and by doing. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 28, 2012

Weeping may endure for a night, but joy comes in the morning. I know your wife, Karen remarried and hope she is doing as well as can be expected and your beloved mother, Mrs. Julia Cook,as well. I will always treasure that nice letter she sent to me in September of 2010 , five days after turning ninety-five years young. Your family endured the passing of your father, Charles, and after your untimely passing I hope finds the strength to carry on. I'm sure you would want them to continue the pursuits of a happy life as you lived for twenty-five sacred and successful years. Rest in sweet peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 28, 2012

A good intention is added as a good deed. The reward for a good deed is another good deed. The greatest reward for doing is the opportunity to do more. For answering the call on May 16, 1979, you are now being rewarded by God. I hope your department saw fit to award you with the Medal of Valor for your heroic actions. Rest in peace and lead us to the fountain of good deeds, my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 28, 2012

The best we can do to achieve holiness is to make a beginning and to persevere in our efforts. As a devout and Godly person, Officer Cook, you and your lovely wife, Karen exemplified what it means to love and to cherish until separated by death. Your sacrifice will never be forgotten by me or my family and you'll always be remembered as our guardian angel. You so personified professionalism and spirituality. Rest in peace in God's holy shelter along with your beloved father, Charles, cradled together in God's palm for safekeeping.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 28, 2012

Strength is not the absence of weakness, but, how we wrestle with our weaknesses. Officer Cook, you took advantage of all the positive attributes instilled by God in you and in turn they served as your strong points when having to deal with hostile situations. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero and guide us with God's strength as we tackle life's demanding challenges.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 28, 2012

The door of success is marked "push" and "pull." Achieving success is knowing when to do what. This was the reason Officer Cook, my neighbor, friend and hero you were that special officer, for which we will always be grateful. Rest in peace.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 28, 2012

Dream, plan, work, and have faith in God. Unfortunately, nothing is more common than ingratitude. Man forgets, but God does not. people dream of different ideas. Some to become richer, some such as you Officer Cook, to make this world a safer and more prosperous place in which to thrive. Obviously, you worked to make a living for yourself and your lovely wife, Karen. You both worked tirelessly to make people's lives more comfortable. A dream itself is but a shadow, dreams are the touchstones of our characters. The stellar character with which your performed your official duties was born out of desire and determination to make it become reality. You set your sights on becoming successful and you did not let anything deter your path in life to succeed. Your careers crossed paths, in that as you began as a public safety officer at I believe Jackson Medical Center in Miami is also where you met your future wife, Karen, who worked as a registered nurse there. I'm sure she had dreams and desires and when the two of you got married this was just the beginning. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero and help us to realize as well as rationalize our dreams and desires. Help us each day as we toil in our endeavors. Two wonderful people who made a difference through difficult times and many sacrifices.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 28, 2012

As man goes on searching for reasons, as he becomes better educated he begins to feel the presence of one God. It does not matter what branch of learning he follows. Biology, chemistry, psychology, whatever the study throws even greater light on man's common ancestry and remind him that all humans have a common origin and that, despite differences, all are brothers and sisters under the skin. Officer Cook, you and you fellow officers, men and women who enlisted in the police academy did it for one reason, to serve, defend and protect the public interest despite the inherent dangers. To place your sacred lives on the line daily, this takes a person of sound mind, healthy body, one who is capable of handling the emotional and physical challenges and rigors of the job that display themselves all too frequently. To be able to follow the book and uphold the law during duress according to department codes and standards this takes a very special and unique type of individual such as you were Officer Cook. One can only hope and pray for your colleagues who stand guard protecting us as you and the many men and women who sacrificed their very special souls for our well being. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero as we search for reasons unknown to us as to why such terrible events seem to occur all too many times in our modern society.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 28, 2012

In two reflections I meant to say may your soul now be bound in God's eternal wings, not forbid not bound. Please forgive me. In the other reflection I meant to say you began to stop something that went or had begun to have been wrong. You volunteered to answer a particular call, a domestic dispute of which you were an expert in helping calm people's emotions. I'll always hope and pray you can forgive me for my "Type O's." Evil and irrationality do not fit into the religious tenets of life. It is these two things that lead to baseless hatred and innocent bloodshed. After all there is only one God and the devout such as yourself, Officer Cook, do have a portion in the future world. The sacrifice you made when you performed your duties on May 16, 1979 was because you sincerely cared about the citizens of Dade County with which you took an oath to serve and protect. You took an interest in people from all works of life and for this we shall be forever grateful. You were a virtuous human being, who treated others as you would have wanted them to treat you. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 28, 2012

Wisdom and understanding will give life to your soul. For he who finds me finds life. God has set on our plates before us the freedom to choose between life and good. By choosing to endeavor in good pursuits you my neighbor, friend and hero, Officer Cook were granted a meaningful life. The righteous even in death are called living, while the wicked in life are called dead. Rest in peace in the everlasting shelter of God's wings. My eye and heart shall be there forever and the eyes of God are ranging over all the whole earth with you, Officer Cook, directing them.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 27, 2012

The spirit of God rests with all His creatures. The breath{spirit} returns to God Who bestowed it. God gives us life and so too He takes life. We can't really explain why this happens. After twenty-five years of a wonderful and prosperous life God saw fit for reasons we can't quite figure out to take a beautiful life, a gentleman willing to answer the call day after day to serve and protect our interests up to heaven. Your good name will endure with your family, friends and colleagues forever. Your sacred soul is not bound up in eternal life along with your father, Charles. Officer Cook, you and your father poured your very souls into the work that you accomplished during your lives and now you are both receiving your rewards from Our Creator. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. We salute your valor and bravery forever.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 27, 2012

I think I meant to say, please let me see Your glory. The heart as we know it is the source of life to all living creatures. Officer Cook, you had a heart of gold. A wonderful disposition and spirit who would constantly go the extra mile for others. The understanding you gained all of your life was shared with others in an effort to make them better. Your achievements were garnered through understanding and comprehending the ramifications of your acts. It is said that a hollow man will gain understanding and a wise man's heart tends toward the right hand. I don't know if you were a southpaw or right-handed. You poured your heart and very soul on May 16, 1979 in an effort to start something very wrong. The ultimate sacrifice you made was because your heart was pointed in the proper direction. You loved God with all your heart and now you rest in hand's palm along with your fellow law enforcement officers who were willing to protect and serve. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero. You made the knowledge of God the goal of all your actions. You were active not passive. You acted not just reacted. This why God saves a special place in heaven for His angels.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 27, 2012

After watching over you, Officer Cook, these past thirty-three years, the Lord my God will come and uplift us together. All of your comrades and yourself whose rest in God's divine shelter will gather together and the salvation we have been waiting for will be achieved. All of God's works come into being by His will alone. Because you conducted your life according to God's ways, "walking in His ways," God walked along side of you guiding your every movement, and now you, my neighbor, friend and hero you are walking by the light of God. Your efforts Officer Cook were illuminated by the light of God and as you rest in peace, so too the light which radiates above should forever shine down brightly upon us as a blessing and source of inspiration.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 26, 2012

Please let me Your glory. Do not look back. Officer Cook, you rest eternally in God's glory and we are allowed to look back at the rich and meaningful life you lived. Since we do not know what each day will bring, this is why you lived each day as a blessing from God. God only knows why you were called on May 16, 1979. The heavens above where you soul rests is God's throne and the earth where you worked during your life is God's footstool. God remains forever, His throne endures through the ages. Just as God stands over you and your father, Charles, you too stood firm in your beliefs and always gave an honest day of performance. One day we will all be reunited just as the constellations in the sky. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 26, 2012

A ladder was standing on the ground and its top reached up toward heaven. God's angels were going up and down on it. Suddenly he saw God standing over him. The Prophets use two kinds of metaphors, first, where every word of the simile stands for a certain idea. The second, where the simile represents a certain idea. This statement when taken for what one may think it is about is for us to know that you, Officer Cook, are in heaven with your fellow comrades who like you have made the ultimate sacrifice. The angels were uplifting your spirit to the next world and you are being judged precisely as you acted in this world. All of your wondrous deeds performed in the land of the living are now you reward for a job well done. There was a cute byline in this past Saturday's Miami Herald sports edition, and it read as follows, "Cook carries Central." My neighbor, friend and hero, you certainly were one of the Central District's most reliable and dependable officers. Officer Cook, you were caring, courageous, considerate and totally concerned for the welfare of the citizens you were responsible for serving and protecting. Rest in peace under God's heavenly ladder along with your father, Charles and the men and women who should be commended for their sacrifice.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 26, 2012

I imagine Officer Cook, you excelled in science. You were not afraid to explore beyond the boundaries of normalcy. There is a saying that says it is elusive and deep, deep down: who can discover it? Whence does wisdom come, where is the source of understanding? There is a metaphor that compares wisdom to water. If a person knows how to swim, he will bring up pearls from the seabed, but if he cannot swim, God forbid, he will drown. As veteran police officer, it was part of your position to try and instruct other officers how to navigate the dangerous streets where evil permeates. The intelligence that you gained from each experience helped you to pass on this wonderful trait to others. Not many are wise, but you my neighbor, friend and hero listened to advice and accepted discipline in order that you may be wise in the end. Those who knew you, Officer Cook, were truly the wiser in the end. You dreams of being a police officer did not come about overnight, you had to spend many moments preparing for this excellent transformation of a private citizen to a loyal and trusted public servant. Like the ax that became dull, and needed sharpening, so too did you exert more strength to train and attain the necessary mental and physical skills necessary for this arduous profession. Rest in peace and help make us mentally and physically stronger to handle the rigors of everyday life.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 24, 2012

There are concepts that one should be aware of that are within reach of the human mind and yet there exists things that the mind cannot grasp. Understanding certain things does not mean you are able to comprehend them. All powers of the body are equally limited. Some individuals have a sharper sense and greater physical prowess than others. Officer Cook, you had the power to discover and comprehend information that some of your colleagues could not. I'm sure when someone needed assistance, you were there most of the time to help out. You were comfortable in your surroundings and had a clear vision of how to achieve success in your daily endeavors. There were four things that predicated your life of distinction. 1. Direction which your parents gave you and you were able to properly utilize to steer through the events during your life. 2. Devotion to your family and friends, colleagues as well, which enabled you to serve the public with honor and integrity. 3. Dedication to your family and to the Metro-Dade Police Department of which you were a proud and loyal team member. 4. Desire to do the right thing whether in private or while faithfully serving the public trust of which you took an affirmation to do so. Don't act the wise man to excess, or you may be dumbfounded. Your humble background and firm upbringing suggests your intelligence was way above average and allowed you to perform without any preconceived notions. guard your foot when you go to the house of God. The desire both you and your lovely wife, Karen had for each other and the church where you both attended highlights all of these four areas. Your unwavering faith allowed you to have this type of success rarely found in many individuals. Rest in peace my neighbor, friend and hero inside of God's holy palace and assist us in these four endeavors that made you the very special and inspirational being that God placed in His hands and feet.

Rabbi Lewis S. Davis

November 24, 2012