The Reverend George Brega Cooke married Rosa Joanna Gordon in Guelph on 19 Jan 1879.

"SERVANT OF GOD, WELL DONE!"

Rev. G. B. Cooke, Pastor of St.Alban's Church,

Entered into Eternal Rest.

As indicated in these columns last week the investigation of the physicians proved that Rev. G. B. Cooke was suffering from an ailment which would very shortly terminate his life. Death ended his sufferings on Saturday morning and the last sad rites were performed on Monday afternoon. Universal sorrow was felt at the announcement of the death of this man of God. He was dearly beloved by his family and his congregations and highly esteemed by all who knew him, irrespective of church relationship. That he should be removed from the bosom of his large family of little ones, dependent upon a loving father for counsel and protection, and from the field of usefulness where he was wielding so wide and salutary an influence as a pastor, is difficult for the human mind to comprehend. But we all meekly bow in trustful submission to the will of our Father in Heaven whose judgment never errs and who doeth all things well. The brighter side of the picture would lead us to render praise for that gospel which opens the vision of an endless life; and thanks above all to that Saviour who has promised to conduct all the faithful through the sacred trance of death into scenes of paradise and everlasting joy and peace. The funeral on Monday at one p.m. was attended by a very large concourse of friends and citizens. The casket was surrounded with a profusion of floral tributes and included "The Gates Ajar" bearing the words "Our Pastor," from St. Alban's congregation; an anchor from St. John's, Rockwood; a cross from Mr. A. W. Cooke, Chicago; a cross from Miss Gordon, Guelph; an anchor from the teachers of Acton Puhlic School and numerous smaller pieces. The funeral was conducted by the Right Rev. Bishop of Niagara, assisted by Rural Dean Fennell, of Georgetown; Rural Dean Belt, of Guelph; Rev. P.T. Mignot, of Milton; Rev. Thos. Smith, of Elora and Rev. Mr. Piper, of Palmerston. Revs. J. W. Rae, J. E. Nowell and Wm. Bryers and Rev. Father Haley, Acton; Rev. D. Strachan, Rockwood, and Rev. J. C. Smith, Guelph, also attended the funeral. The members of the Board of Education, of which the deceased was an active member and an ex-chairman, and the municipal Council, attended in a body. The friends from a distance were: - Dr. A. H. Cooke, and Mr. Alex. Cooke, Engineer of Chicago Sewerage System, father and brother of deceased; Dr. Charles Cooke, Toronto; Mr. H. H. O'Reilly, Orangeville; Mr. William Gordon and Miss E. Gordon, Guelph, and Mr. D. McCree, Guelph. The following official members of the congregations of St. Alban's Acton, and St. John's, Rockwood, acted as pall bearers: S. Laird, T. H. Harding, J. Hainer, J. Lester, F. Anstee and J. W. Knowles. Rev. Mr. Cooke was the son of Dr. Cooke now of Chicago, and was born May lst, 1854, at Mt. Pleasant, near Brantford, where his father was then practising. His mother is the daughter of the late John Winer, wholesale druggist, of Hamilton. He was married in 1878 to Miss Rose Gordon, daughter of the late Capt. Gordon, Guelph, and leaves his widow and nine children to mourn his early death. The Rev. G. B. Cooke, after a theological course at Trinity College, Toronto, was ordained by the late Bishop Fuller in St. George's Church, Guelph, on Jan., 31st, 1878. He first served under the Rev. Jas. Carmichael, now Dean of Montreal, as curate at the Church of the Ascenion, Hamilton. Then successively he held appointments at Georgetown, Sault Ste. Marie, Palmerston and for the last six years at Acton and Rockwood. Everywhere he was much beloved by his people and exerted a marked influence for good upon those with whom he came in contact. A former parishioner, in referring to his work as a missionary in Muskoka and Algoma, says:- After officiating as curate for several years in the Church of the Ascension, Hamilton, he volunteered to take up mission work in the sparsely populated district of Muskoka and Algoma, and for three years worked hard to spread the gospel among the settlers, often travelling from 30 to 40 miles a day on snowshoes to reach his appointments. When it is known that the water frontage of his parish was 160 miles in length, it will be easily seen that it was no place for an idle shepherd. He left this field on account of his young family and took charge of St. Paul's Church, Palmerston.

Rev. Mr. Cooke was appointed incumbent of this parish in 1889. He arrived in Acton on Thursday, 30th May, and that evening Rev. Thomas Smith, of Elora, preached the induction sermon. Rev. Mr. Smith is now given the duty of preaching the memorial sermon next Sunday evening. During his six years residence here Rev. Mr. Cooke has enjoyed the esteem of all the people. He not only gave the closest attention to the duties of his parish but interested himself in education and other matters. He was serving his second term as a member of the public school board and was chairman last year. He took an active interest in the erection of the new Public School and to him is due a considerable mead of credit for its erection. Mr. Cooks was a Christian of the most liberal and broadminded character. He was ever welcome in the homes of sorrow and the poor had good reason to count him a practical friend. Acton has fortunately very few of the needy poor, but, nevertheless, the butchers of this place recite the frequent bestowal of roasts of liberal proportions upon those in straightened circumstances, who never knew who was their kind benefactor. On the day Mr. Cooke left Palmerston for Acton the proprietor of the Palmerston woollen mills (Mr. T. Waterhouse) told the editor of the Palmerston Telegraph that he would be missed by the poor people of the town, for many a pair of blankets and other warm goods had been sent from the mill to needy persons who were kept in ignorance of the name of the kind friend who sent the articles. Mr. Waterhouse is an office bearer in the Methodist Church, and he said the gifts were made irrespectrive of the religious denominations to which the recipients belonged.

Mr. Cooke was always loyal to his parish and its interests. Notwithstanding that he was sometimes discouraged at the removal of numbers of his members to other places, he promtly refused, on two occasions to the writer's knowledge, invitations to much larger and more lucrative charges. He felt that he was needed here and died in the harness.

Many tributes of esteem have been paid to his memory by those who knew him most intimately. A friend sent the following lines to the family the morning of his death:- "Rev. Mr. Cooke, of Acton, Ont., has exchanged earth for heaven. Through all his ills he could say: 'Not a cloud doth arise to darken the skies, or to hide for one moment the Lord from my eyes.'"

During his last illness he expressed the most complete submission to the will of God. It is true he did cling to life, feeling that for the sake of his wife and family he would prefer to remain with them, but among his last words on [?] were "The Lord's will be done; I'm prepared to bid adieu to life now if He deemeth it best."

"There is a calm for those who weep,

A rest for weary prilgrims found

And while the smouldering ashes sleep,

Low in the ground -

The soul, of origin divine,

God's glorious image, freed from clay,

In heaven's eternal sphere shall shine, A star of day."

Source: Acton Free Press (Acton, ON), 10 Jan 1895, p. 2, column 3