Former funeral director Zook remembered
By Silva Sevlian, Correspondent
Article Launched: 06/28/2008 10:59:05 PM PDT


MONROVIA - Greg Zook, former funeral director of the Douglass and Zook Mortuary, has died, his family said.

Zook died June 18 of Lou Gehrig's disease. He was 56.

Zook became the state's youngest licensed funeral director in 1973, when he graduated with a degree in mortuary science from California Mortuary College, his wife, Jan said.

Born in Upland, Zook moved with his family to Monrovia when he was 2 years old. He spent the rest of his life in the city, becoming active in its civic life.

Zook met his wife of 34 years while they were both attending Wild Rose Elementary School. They met through their older brothers, who were friends at the school.

It wasn't until the two began attending high school in the summer of 1968 that they started dating. The young couple attended Greg's senior prom at Monrovia High School.

After being together for more than five years, the two wed in 1974.

"He proposed on Easter Day and surprised me with a ring in an Easter basket," Jan said.

Zook worked at his father's mortuary, Douglass and Zook, beginning when he was a teenager. He later became president of the company.

His son Matthew, 24, is the fourth generation in the family business and learned the family trade by working his way from the bottom up, just like his father, the family said.

"My dad started me off at the mortuary washing cars - the same way he started at the business," Matthew recalled.

Aside from his dedication to the family business, Zook was a man of many hobbies. He owned a motorcycle, was an avid cycler, practiced karate, played tennis and liked to ski, his family said.

To celebrate their 40th birthdays, he and his best friend, Brad Bateson, went on a bicycle trip along the West Coast, beginning in Canada and ending in Mexico, relatives said.

The two "created wonderful memories and a few blisters on their back sides on this 1,600 mile trek," his wife recalled.

An adventurous family, the Zooks own three motorcycles, the other two belonging to Greg's wife and son.

Although Zook was very active later in life, he didn't play sports in high school.

"He never played team sports," Jan said. "He always challenged himself."

Nicknamed "McGuyver," Zook was known to always be prepared with a Swiss Army knife and first aid kit. At home he was not only a handyman, he was very organized, family members said.

"There was only one way to do things - and that was Greg's way," Jan said. "He was a perfectionist."

She said his death has been difficult to deal with.

"You know all the details that you need to take care of, but nothing can prepare you for something like this, emotionally," she said.

But Zook had planned ahead. After his death, Jan received flowers, which were sent by his best friend Bateson. But when she read the card, she discovered that Greg had arranged that they be sent to her.

The card read: "Thank you so much for making my life special. Love, Greg."

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