Michael Mittler
Michael C. Mittler, born October 6, 1951, lost his battle with cancer May 10, 2019. Michael is survived by his wife Beverly J. Mittler (Tillman), six siblings and numerous nieces and nephews and great-nieces and great-nephews. Mike was a co-owner of Mittler Brothers Machine & Tool in Wright City, MO. Mike’s greatest passion was racing, he owned MB Motorsports who ran the #63 NASCAR truck for 23 years. He was National Chairman of National Tool and Machine Association in 2006 and remained an active member. Mittler Bros. has been a NOMMA member since 1991 and an active supporter of METALfab conferences. He will be missed by those who knew and loved him. The NOMMA family sends our thoughts to the family and his company family.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made payable to: St. Vincent DePaul Society at Immaculate Heart of Mary, St. Louis Zoo, Humane Society of choice, or National Tooling and Machine Association, in care of Pitman Funeral Home, P. O. Box 248, Wentzville, MO 63385.
Robert "Bob" Cooke
Robert Morrison Cooke, 67, of LaGrange Park, IL. Passed away May 12, 2019 after a long battle with liver disease. Beloved husband of Darla, nee White; devoted father of Michael (Amanda) Cooke of Tennessee and Amber (Davey Kunesh) Cooke of Westmont, IL; proud grandfather of William “Gabe”, Rachel, David “Lou”, and Avery; loving brother of James (Becky) Cooke and Kathy Cooke (Sue Crowell); dearest son of the late James (Barbara) Cooke and the late Elizabeth Cooke; fond uncle of Morgan, Andrew and Sarah Cooke and their spouses and children; also survived by many other loving family members and friends.
Who was Bob Cooke? Bob was a fan. An avid sports fan whose favorite team was always the White Sox. Every year the spring brought training camp and lit up his world anew. He loved taking training camp trips to AZ with Tommy. But he was also a Chicago guy through and through, with the Bulls and Bears, statistics & standing, always open for discussion. And visiting as many parks, stadiums, and arenas as he could was a top bucket list item for him. He was also a big fan of trains and spent decades building scale model layouts of H O scale trains. And he was a big fan of helping people, of serving others, of serving God. He was a Deacon at the Village Church, Treasurer, and longtime groundskeeper for the church he loved. If Bob ever had a foul word to say, it was probably directed at a certain troubled riding lawn mower. And Bob was a Mason, serving in the St. Cecilia Lodge in Chicago.
Bob at his core was a fencer, and expert at securing the perimeter. Whether it was the property of a customer, or the life of one he loved, he was the one protecting the heart, guarding against pain, creating a feeling of security…Inside his fence line, you were safe.
In some ways, the first fence post he set was his first day of preparation for his eventual life with Darla. His first part time job in high school was installing fences and at his last one, he retired selling hardware.
Except for one brief stint at Western Illinois University and cowboy cooking in Wyoming, he was installing, selling, fixing, troubleshooting, teaching, or coaching. People or fences; always people and fences.
Bob lived life with gusto, he worked hard and played hard, and he never held grudges. After moving on from his hard charging partying days, he became the rock of his family. Calm and devoted, he was the stabilizing influence that allowed space for Darla and Amber to be who they were, and to grow into who he knew they could become, all within the safe confines of the perimeter of his love.
If you knew Bob, you know that you are better off because of it.
Though change is a daily force in all our lives, one thing was a “rock solid” constant in his. How are you doing today Bob? “Peachy Keen”