East Washingtonian - Your Hometown News Source

Brian A. (Cook) Hart

December 6, 1965-October 29, 2017

Brian A. Hart passed away on October 29, 2017. His passing has left a huge hole in his family's lives so we wanted to share some of our memories.

Brian was born on December 6, 1965, in Moscow, Idaho, and was raised in Pomeroy, graduating from Pomeroy High School in 1985. While still in school he attended evening classes at Lewis-Clark State College studying music, where he learned to play the banjo and guitar. He learned to play the mandolin thanks to Herman Waldron, who taught him in Herman's back yard. After graduation Brian joined the Navy and served six years.

Brian said most people joined to see the world but he joined to fish the world. And he did. Once he and crew mates caught a shark and barbequed it on the deck of the USS Sterett while out to sea. After his discharge he got bored and decided to reenlist, joining the Active Army Reserves with a full-time position stationed out of Spokane. He served thirteen years before a military accident left him medically retired. He served in two branches of the military at the same time, Navy Reserves and Active Army Reserves. Brian and family moved to Colville, Wash., where he joined the Stevens County Search and Rescue, worked at the Stevens County Fair as a security guard, was an assistant coach for his son's Little League team, was a lifetime member of the VFW and even played Santa Claus.

Brian loved to cook and bake, collecting cookbooks until he no longer had space for them. He loved being outdoors; fishing, hunting, huckleberry picking and searching for the elusive morel were among his favorites. If you asked Brian what he did, his response would always be "I fish"; that was his occupation.

In recent years Brian's fishing buddy Gary Dansereau said Brian can have his pole out, set up, and his limit caught before he has his own line ready to throw. Brian loved to collect things. He had an extensive collection of vinyl and the record player to play them on; he said that was the only way to hear good music.

Brian earned the nickname Slam while serving on the USS Sterett. During a drill he lost his footing on a deck rail and landed on his lieutenant, he jumps to attention, the lieutenant asks if he's okay and his response was, "Yes Sir, your body broke my fall, Sir". One day in Colville he just walked outside and hears someone yell, "Stop or I'll shoot!" He freezes and sees a police officer scaling a fence shouting "Stop him!" so Brian did. He took the person down to the ground and held him there until the officer got there. The perpetrator begged Brian to let him up but Brian told him "not until the nice officer tells me to". Brian received a Good Citizenship Award plaque and recognition from the Colville Police Department for his involvement. Brian led a colorful life, he was always in the soup. It started as a child when he fell into blackberry bushes and ended up stuck in a tangled mess yelling, "Help me, somebody help me!"

Brian is survived by his wife of over thirty years, Thelma, daughter Jenny, sons Skylar and JunJun, four grandchildren, mother Katherine (Kelley) Cook, siblings Robert Hart, Charles Cook, Mary Cook, Jacque Haggard, Albert Cook, Will Cook, Bobbie Cook, Mark Armstrong and various aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and many friends.

Preceding him in death were his daughter Michelle, sister Alice, father Keith, stepfather Morrie and all his grandparents.