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Phillip Ray Cookman (77) passed away unexpectedly on October 24, 2024 at his home in Glendale, AZ. Phillip was born in Indiana on October 8, 1947 to parents Wayne and Ruby (Maddox) Cookman.
The family moved to Arizona in 1951 when Phillip was 3 years old. He was a 1965 graduate of Glendale High School and attended Glendale Community College. Some of Phillip’s best years in school were during High School where he played Football, Wrestled and was a member of multiple clubs including the Auto Mechanics Club.
Phillip was a proud member of the United States Marine Corp, serving the military during the Vietnam War as a Corporal E4 from 02/28/1968-09/12/1969. The lifelong relationships he made with his fellow Marines were an important part of his life and he truly enjoyed their annual reunions around the United States, the most recent one being in Utah this past September. That pride continued when sons Scott and Keith served our country in the Navy.
As a child, Phillip was a Boy Scout and that love for scouting continued through his support of sons Paul and Keith while they were Scouts. Countless hikes, pinewood derbies, camping trips and other adventures culminated with Keith earning his Eagle Scout Award.
In his young adult years, Phillip was oftentimes found behind the wheel of a fast car. He won multiple drag races in Arizona, Texas and California in addition to his off-road races in his sand rail alongside his friends and brothers Bill and Max. In the early 1980’s, he would buy beat up Camaros and fix them up and sell them for a profit. More recently, he could be found under the hood of his son Keith’s 1996 Ford Bronco.
Another love of Phillip’s was sports. He was a season ticket holder with the Phoenix Suns in the early seventies and was thrilled when Arizona became the home to the Cardinals, Diamondbacks and Coyotes. He enjoyed many games in person at the various stadiums with his wife, children and grandchildren as well as numerous games from the comfort of his favorite spot on the couch. His favorite sporting activities involved his children and grandchildren. He was both an umpire and coach for many of his children’s baseball teams. When he was not able to support in the coaching role, he was a huge support in the stands cheering on his children and grandchildren during their baseball, soccer, football, basketball, volleyball and capoeira sporting events.
Phillip was a lifelong camper and shared that love for camping with the entire family. Some of his favorite camping spots were at Kinnikinick Lake, Dogtown Lake and more recently at his son Paul’s property near Williams. The conversations around the fire were priceless.
Animals were a huge part of Phillip’s life. His favorite animals were horses, dogs and Desert Tortoises. He owned two horses in the 1970’s and spent a lot of time with his brother Max who owned numerous horses over the years both in Arizona and in Colorado. Some of his favorite pals were his dogs Jake, Moses, Shadow and most recently Riley who misses him dearly. The desert tortoises, Touche, Tubbie and Trouble have been a part of the family for decades.
Phillip was a genius with his hands, he was truly a “jack of all trades”. He was an excellent mechanic, electrician and locksmith; which were his chosen careers during his lifetime. He worked at Sanderson Ford and Canyon Ford, as an electrician he worked at Palo Verde Nuclear Power Plant as well as other commercial projects and was a member of the electricians union (IBEW Local 640) for over 50 years, he worked alongside his sister Jan and brother in law Tim at A-1 Locksmith until retiring in 2016.
When Phillip’s sons Eric and Paul were little, they were certain that their Dad was the “Incredible Hulk” due to him being as “tough as nails” and he always seemed to have a torn white T-shirt lying around. Over the years, it was realized that he was not in fact the Hulk and Phillip showed more of his sentimental side. He could not talk about his love and pride for his wife, children and grandchildren without a tear in his eyes and a choked up voice. The love he had for each of them and his ability to make each of them feel special in his own way was unparalleled. He marveled over; Eric’s great memory and love for genealogy, Paul’s outgoing personality and ability to make friends with anyone he met, Beth’s adventurous spirit and how amazing a mother she is, Scott’s love for our country and family, Keith’s intelligence and drive, Carmen’s kindness and love for her boys, Brittany’s passion for her clients and her love for Beau, Vilson’s ability to quickly master the English language and his hard work ethic, Mark’s dedication to completing his architectural degrees and love of sports, Michael’s determination to be a successful firefighter, Matthew’s ability to pick things up so quickly (Grandpa’s taller mini me), Faith’s beauty inside and out, Jayda’s curiosity and kindness, Giovanna’s love for animals and independence, Beau’s huge smile, his favorite word NO and ability to gobble down a banana in seconds flat and Patti’s ability to bring people together and to be an ambassador of Christ's love through acts of kindness.
Education was important to Phillip. He never missed one of his kids’ parent teacher conferences, he helped them with their science fair projects, attended their plays and performances and had a nice chat with them when their grades were below a B. He valued college, business ownership, trade school and the military and encouraged his children to accomplish great things choosing one or more of those paths. This continued with his grandchildren as he also attended all of their events and assisted them in any way possible in their current and future educational pursuits.
Thanksgiving was Phillip’s favorite holiday. Phillip and Patti hosted Thanksgiving for decades and welcomed family and friends from all over into their home. From dawn until dusk, Phillip had a grin on his face preparing food, sharing stories with his family and enjoying their company. His homemade pumpkin pies and eating mashed potatoes covered in noodles were his favorites. He looked forward to the annual traditions and the blessings that came with them.
Religion was paramount in Phillip’s life. As a Catholic, he lived a Christian life and he believed in the power of prayer and service to others. Phillip was an active member of a weekly Rosary group and spent significant time at the St. Vincent de Paul’s food bank located at the Saints Simon and Jude parish. Not to mention the countless acts of kindness and service to his friends, family and strangers within the community. Phillip often quoted part of Proverbs 13:22, “A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children..” He was constantly spending time with his grandchildren and teaching them all that he knew; how to be kind, how to help others, how to change a flat tire, how to replace locks, how to change the brakes/oil on a car, how to remodel a house, plumbing, money management, etc, etc, etc
Phillip often shared that he believed he was still on this Earth due to the love and prayers of two women; his Mother Ruby and his wife Patti. He would make comments that he escaped death numerous times over the years and would shake his head in disbelief that he was still here. Apparently God was finally ready for him to come home.
Phillip is survived by his wife Patti (Butts) Cookman, his sons; Eric (Carmen) Cookman, Paul Cookman, Scott Cookman, Keith (Brittany) Cookman, daughter; Beth (Vilson) DaRosa, Grandchildren; Mark Cookman, Michael (Faith) Cookman, Matthew Cookman, Jayda DaRosa, Giovanna DaRosa and Beau Cookman, his brother; Jim Cookman, his sisters; Becky Bos and Jan (Tim) Shaw, as well as numerous cousins, nieces, nephews, in-laws and friends.
Phillip was predeceased by; his parents, Wayne and Ruby Cookman, his brothers, Max and Bill Cookman, his sister-in-law Betty Cookman, his brothers-in-law Jeff Greer and Steve Markusic as well as a host of other family and friends that are now enjoying Heaven with him.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate a donation to the St. Vincent de Paul Food Pantry located at Saints Simon and Jude Parish either in person or by using the following link. https://simonjude.org/st-vincent-de-paul-society
Visitation from 3-5pm with a Rosary from 4-4:30pm on Sunday, November 3rd at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Rd, Phoenix, AZ 85018 (Attendees are encouraged to wear a flannel shirt). Funeral Mass at 10am on Monday, November 4th at Saints Simon and Jude Cathedral 6351 N. 27th Ave, Phoenix, AZ 85017, with burial to follow at St. Francis Catholic Cemetery 2033 N 48th St, Phoenix, AZ 85008 (Active military and veterans are encouraged to wear their dress uniform). Luncheon will be held after the services at Smith Hall located at Saints Simon and Jude.
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Obituary:
In reading Phillip's Obituary I saw in writing exactly what I thought his life would be like. Cookie was a good friend when were both Marines in Kilo 3/26, we had the same interest in cars and racing and could hardly wait till we got home, to the World as we called our trip back to the USA, and get on with our life and family. Both of us were Catholic and prayed and felt the Lord would protect us as he did. Cookie was one of the most level headed persons I ever knew, he kept up his spirits and was the type of person that made us better people by knowing him. He is with his combat buddies now preparing a place for the rest of us. It is also no doubt in my mind that whatever needs to be fixed in Heaven he will be the first one to do it.
TONY MORISCO
"Cookie," as his Marine buddies called him, was one of the "good guys." He seemed to keep a fairly low profile, but he was always there when you needed him. His unit in Vietnam, Kilo 3/26, held a reunion in 2023 in Flagstaff, and he played a significant role in its planning and success. We most recently got to spend some more, fun time with Phil just last month with our reunion in Salt Lake City. Never thought it would be the last time I spent with Phil. A fine Marine and husband, a wonderful father and grandfather, and great, all-around human being. We will sorely miss him until we are reunited one more time for our eternal reunion. God's speed, my friend.
ROBERT (TOM) HICKINBOTHAM
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Phil and I arrived at Kilo ; 1st platoon early August 1968. We spent over a year together in combat. Phil always made the right decision in the bush. He was a great combat Marine; kept others in line by example or a good right cross. When we first met at a reunion, he said that he treats “every day alive as an extra day because of the amount of lead we survived”. Phil was right and you can see he and Patti raised a great family.
Semper Fi ,
Nick Kosturos
