Cookson Yu

Cookson Yu - Father of three, passed away peacefully June 19th with family by his side. Born in 1946 in Canton (now Guangzhou), China, Cookson spent his early years in China and Hong Kong before immigrating to the U.S., initially to the small town of Quincy, Illinois and ultimately to the Bay Area. Following his service in the US Army during the war in Vietnam, Cookson graduated from San Francisco State, accepted a position with the federal government, and began a family. Along with his wife, he helped raise three sons, moving to the North Bay and providing them the avenues and opportunities for success his adopted home offered. Services will be held, Sunday, June 28, 2009 at 1:00 P.M. at the Newall Chapel, Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, 1370 El Camino Real, Colma, CA. In lieu of flowers, donations to the following in memory of Cookson Yu are greatly appreciated: Marin County Library Foundation: http://www.marinlibrary.org/about/community/foundation/; Chinese Newcomers Service Center: http://www.chinesenewcomers.org/; San Francisco General Hospital Foundation: http://sfghf.net/donate.html. Directors: PARENT-SORENSEN MORTUARY & CREMATORY, Petaluma (707-763-4131). A man of contrasts, Cookson was as likely to regale with a Johnny Mathis rendition as scandalize with a sardonic joke. He welcomed an audience for his outsized personality, yet cherished the solitude a good book afforded him. Never one to forgo spirited debate, Cookson relished expounding his beliefs passionately, yet usually followed with a devilish, Cheshire-like grin that spoke of his tolerance towards alternating viewpoints.