Obituary for Floyd Cook

Floyd Gary Cook

May 7, 1936 – October 31, 2018

Cook, Floyd Gary, age 82 of Kaw City, OK passed away Wednesday, October 31, 2018 at his home in Kaw City.

A memorial ceremony to celebrate Floyd’s remarkable life will be held at 10:00 am Friday, November 9, 2018 in the chapel at Trout Funeral Home & Crematory in Ponca City with Tom Howard officiating. At a later date, Floyd will be laid to rest with his parents at the Scott County Cemetery in Scott City, Kansas. Cremation arrangements are under the direction of Trout Funeral Home & Crematory.

Floyd was born on May 7, 1936 in Scott City, Kansas to Floyd L. and Bessie E. (Logan) Cook. He was raised in the Scott City area, graduating from the Scott Community High School in 1954. After high school, Floyd attended the Southern Colorado State College where he received an Associate of Applied Science Degree and his First Class F.C.C. Radiophone license with Radar endorsement. He majored in communications electronics and became an active licensed amateur radio operator, which he relished in until his passing. Following his education, Floyd joined the U.S. Army in 1957 and, during his enlistment, was responsible for the maintenance of the Nike Ajax and Hercules missiles at the White Sands Proving Grounds in New Mexico. Following his honorable discharge in 1960, Floyd worked for the Hathaway Instrument Company as a calibration technician for the electronic equipment used in the Titan missile. Shortly thereafter, the University of Denver employed Floyd as a Field Engineer where he supervised the installation, operation, and maintenance of complex research equipment at locations all over the world. After his time with University of Denver, Floyd was introduced to medical laboratory instruments with the Technicon Corporation and serviced the instruments in the western United States. Honeywell Medical Systems became his employer as Floyd oversaw the national service center for the medical instruments, assisted those in the field and provided training. In the late 1970’s, Floyd established and operated the Biomedical Engineering Department at St. Catherine Hospital in Garden City, KS. His skills were valuable in working quickly to fix the equipment in the hospital without documentation or assistance from vendors. After 20 years at the hospital, Floyd went to work at Purdue University International Programs. He participated in the Poly Tech Development Program in Malaysia. The project aimed to increase technical skills of instructors in the technical instructors at the Poly Tech Institute. Floyd’s role was to oversee the establishment of a medical electronics laboratory suitable for studies and experiments on the subject of biomedical engineering; which included drafting lesson plans, and lecturing as well as conducting lab studies and experiments for the students. He retired in 1997, having helped innumerable people through his career and likely many are still benefiting from his expertise to this day. After moving to Kaw City in 2001, Floyd became personally involved in several local organizations and groups. He has been a valued asset to the community since that time, including his hard work for the Kay County Republican party. Alongside his biomedical engineering experience, Floyd loved computers and was a wizard at fixing bugs and building computers. As evidenced by his impressive professional accomplishments, Floyd was a brilliant man, and his heart was also strong for helping others, especially his beloved family.

Survivors include his daughters: Beth Bryant and husband Stephen of Coldwater, KS, Salinda Ortiz of Blackwell, OK; grandchildren: Jared Burns of Ponca City, Nicholas Burns of Boynton Beach, FL, Scott Ortiz of Little Sioux, IA, Christopher Ortiz of Ponca City, Juan Ortiz and wife Kim of Lakin, KS, Elizabeth Mayo and husband Brad of Little Sioux, IA, Stephanie Hazard and husband David of Tonkawa, OK, Sandrann Ortiz of Blackwell, OK, Paul Hanger of Ponca City and Ryan Hanger of Enid, as well as 15 great grandchildren.

Floyd was preceded in death by his parents, brother Robert Cook, Sister Dorothy Newman, and his daughter Amy Boyd.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to the Kay County Republican Party, www.kaycountygop.com.

Source: Trout Funeral Home