Luther Banner Cook

I will never forget the day we spent together building a bird house. He was so patient with me and we laughed all day. He was a generous and caring man with a great sense of humor. And he accepted me like a daughter from the first time I met him. I will truly very much miss this man. I was blessed to be a part of his life for 25 years and I am so grateful for that. Tamra Carson.

Luther taught me how to work with leather. He even bought me a leather working starter kit. He showed me a few tricks and let me be creative. I still have some of the things I made. He was so patient and funny, with a twinkle in his eyes. He told me once when I was a teenager that he could never see me working at a "desk job". Well, Luther, I do, but my passion still lies outdoors with the animals. Rest in peace, dear uncle.

Lute was my cousin, he was such a sweet and caring man. He took such good care of my mom and dad when they were alive and in Madison, he always checked on them to see how they were doing and helped dad find his car in the mall parking lot when he lost it. We always enjoyed his and Bev's visits when they were on their way to the cabin. Luther you will be missed. :-(

Luther was one of my Dad's (Leonard Birney) best friends, having fought in Korea together. They, along with Jim Westendorf. and Charlie Cook. remained lifelong friends. Their courage, honor, love and sense of commitment to each other and to their country is an inspiration to my family and others. When my Dad passed away 3 years ago, Bev and Luther spent a few days with us and the rest of the group, telling old stories and we heard a story we had never before of how Luther saved my Dad's life in Korea. For that and for many other reasons, I'm grateful to Luther. He was a good man and he'll be missed. My condolences to Bev and the whole family. _Patty Sherwood

Luther and I shared a lot of campfires together. A morning fire always had coffee. Sometimes fried potatoes and eggs, with talk of what the day might bring. An evening fire generally involved some Brandy. Mostly there were stories of past hunting and fishing adventures. Occasionaly if there was enough brandy he would allow some of the gosts from Korea to come out. Some were comical. They were trying to supliment their rations with fresh meat. He spotted a deer running on a hillside. His pilot flew their "chopper" along side that deer, and they emptied every rifle they had. He said " that potlicker is still running ". He was at Inchon, and froze his hands at the Chosin reservoir. We learned about those battles in history class -- he was there, a kid right out of highschool. I will end this with a classic Luther. Kennan, on his first deer hunt was sitting with grampa. "grampa- there's a deer over there". "well shoot the son of a bitch". REALLY gonna miss you grampa. Stoker