Obituary Gary E. Cooke, 68, of Washington, passed away at his residence at 7:55am on October 19, 2011. He was born on April 7, 1943, the son of Violet A. Cooke, she preceded him in death. Gary married Nancy Sittig on March 11, 1978, in Washington, IL, she survives. Also surviving are two sons, Mike (Amy) Cooke, of St. Louis, and D.J. Cooke, of Washington; two daughters, Teresa (Greg) Nofsinger, of LaCrosse, Wi, and Erin Cooke, of Creve Couer; nine loving Grand Children. 1 Grandson preceded him in death. He enjoyed being an avid defender of the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Gary is a member of the Masonic Lodge of Peoria. More recently he became interested in and researched the genealogical history of his family. Services for Gary will be at 2:00PM Saturday, October 22, 2011, at Deiters Funeral Home and Crematory in Washington. Visitation will be from 1:00PM to 2:00 PM at the Funeral Home prior to the Service. Cremation rites will be accorded after the service. Burial will be at Glendale Cemetery at a later date. Memorials may be made to the Washington Fire Department.