Perley E. Cook

Perley E. Cook, age 77, longtime resident of Smyrna passed away peacefully at the home of his daughter and son-in-law on Wednesday October 8, 2025.

Perley was born November 5,1947, at home in Sherburne, NY, the son of Perley Cook Sr. and Gladys Benedict. They lived in various places and later moved to Smyrna. At the age of 17, he met Elaine “Kate” Hill. They were married on November 13,1965 and continued to reside at the family farm.

Perley was drafted by the US Army in 1967 and served in Vietnam until he was honorably discharged in 1969. He enjoyed doing body and engine repair in his spare time. He had various jobs including hauling milk for Van Horn Trucking. Later he started his own small dairy farm and continued until he suffered a stroke in 1993. He remained independent at his home until 2023.Thereafter, he lived with his daughter Tina and son-in-law Bob, in Interlaken.

He is survived by his children Lisa (Todd) Rice of New Hartford, Tina (Bob) Ike of Interlaken, Francis Quackenbush of Ohio, Debbie (Eric) Tyler of Mt. Upton; his grandchildren Kory (Elise) Rice, Kayla (Anthony) Palmer, Jeffrey (Naomi) Monroe, Jared, Miranda and Kylie Quackenbush, Lindsey (Logan) Klockowski, Sabrina (Aaron) Price, Garrett Bard, Montana and Landen Tyler along with 12 great grandchildren. He is also survived by the mother of his children, Elaine “Kate” DeBlock. Perley was preceded in death by 2 half-brothers Larry and Ivan Dunagan.