Joe Reid Cook, 92, of Lenoir, died Tuesday, September 29, 2026, after a life spent serving his community as a leader in Caldwell County youth sports and as a mentor to generations of boys and young men. He lived his final months at Grace Village Senior Living in Granite Falls, where the memory care staff knew him for his lifetime storytelling.

He is survived by Hilda Cheek Cook, his loving wife of 63 years, who cared for him in his final years.

Joe was born on July 15, 1934, in Lenoir to Ira Coy Cook and Evelyn Horton Cook. He was graduated from Lenoir High School in 1952, where he participated in numerous school clubs and was a member of the school’s football championship teams in 1949 and 1950. Upon graduation, he attended Appalachian State Teachers College from 1952 to 1955.

Joe returned to Lenoir to work in the family business, Cook’s Transfer & Storage Co., a mover and consolidator of furniture made in North Carolina and Virginia factories for shipping all across the United States. He took over Cook’s after his father’s passing in 1974 and ran the company until it was sold in 1999.

Alongside managing the business, Joe’s treasured pursuits involved coaching, mentoring, and participating in sports in his community.

Joe was a Little League Baseball volunteer for more than 60 years, beginning in 1955 through the mid-2010s, first as a baseball coach then as an administrator.

He coached the Kiwanis Club team in the Lenoir Little League from 1955 to 1979, winning the league championship 12 times. Following each of those 12 titles, he coached the Lenoir Little League All-Stars in postseason, compiling a record of 42-12 and leading the All-Stars to the District 2 championship in 1969.

Following his coaching career, Joe continued his involvement with Little League Baseball, serving as District 2 assistant administrator from 1974 to 1980, then as District 7 administrator beginning in 1981 through 2015. In 1990, he added the position of North Carolina state coordinator for Little League Baseball and was named to the Little League Baseball Southern Regional Tournament Advisory Board.

In football, Joe coached of the Lenoir High School junior varsity football team from 1959 to 1964, then served as a youth football coach in Lenoir’s Bunny Maynard Football League from 1964 to 1974. His team, the Packers—a nod to his favorite professional football team—won five Bunny Maynard league championships.

For his contributions, Joe was given the Kiwanis Club Community Service Award in 1966 and the Optimist Club Friend of Youth Award in 1974. On October 11, 1994, he was selected for the Caldwell County Sports Hall of Fame.

Joe also enjoyed playing golf as a member of Lenoir Golf Club with a wide assortment of playing partners over 40 years.

Away from the fields and courts, Joe was elected to the Caldwell County Board of Education in 1978, where he served until 1982, including as its chairman from 1980 to 1982. He was brought back in 1983 to serve another stint on the board until 1984.

For nearly 60 years, Joe was a member of West Lenoir Baptist Church, where he took on many roles in service, including as a deacon and as Sunday school administrator.

In addition to his wife, Hilda, he is survived by his son, Joseph M. “Monty” Cook, of Alexandria, Va., and daughter-in-law, Wendy Lane Cook; two grandchildren, Emma, of Reston, Va., and Katharine, of Washington, D.C.; three brothers, Johnny Mack, of Lenoir, Carl, of West Jefferson, and Leonard, of Newland; and one sister, Carolyn, of Hudson. Joe was predeceased by one brother, Jerry Dean, in 2010.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Monday, October 5, 2026, at West Lenoir Baptist Church with Rev. Rick Safriet officiating. Burial will immediately follow at Blue Ridge Memorial Park.

A public viewing will be held prior to the service from 10:30 to 11:00 A.M. at the church.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Caldwell Hospice & Palliative Care, 526 Robbinswood Place, Hudson, N.C. 28638 or online at https://www.amoremsupport.org. Contributions may also be made to the Dementia Society of America, PO Box 600, Doylestown, PA, 18901 or online at https://Dementia Society of America.

Online condolences may be left at www.greer-mcelveenfuneralhome.com

Greer-McElveen Funeral Home and Crematory is assisting the Cook family.