James Cook, the co-founder of the Joan Cook gift catalog, died on June 6 at age 73, DIRECT Newsline has learned.
Cook, a resident of Fort Lauderdale, FL, died unexpectedly at his summer residence in North Carolina.
Cook and his wife Joan founded the catalog “on a kitchen table in Brooklyn,” said Steve Millard, co-founder of the Millard Group.
They competed with Lillian Vernon, Harriet Carter and Taylor Gifts, but “they all knew each other,” Millard said. “They were all very friendly.”
Millard added that the Cooks “learned the hard way–by doing. And they had a very successful catalog.”
According to Millard, the Cooks sold the catalog roughly 15 years ago, and it has since been closed.
Cook’s survivors include Joan, and a son, Christopher E. Cook. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to Cumberland College, Williamsburg, KY.
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