Kenneth Poe Funeral Services

April 15, 2024

CHAPEL HILL – Patrick Neal Cook, 55, passed away on Monday, April 15, 2024, in Chapel Hill, NC with his children, wife and parents at his bedside.  

Neal was born in Marion, NC, but spent most of his youth tearing up the basketball courts and running the neighborhood with his band of childhood friends in Washington, NC, where his family moved when Neal was eight.  After graduating from Washington High School, Neal attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the only college he applied to as it was the only college he wanted to attend.  Neal was a life-long and adamantly devoted fan of the Tar Heels.  After graduating from college, Neal attended Wake Forest University Law School, serving on the Wake Forest Law Review and as a member of the Moot Court Board.

Upon graduating law school in 1995, Neal joined Parker Poe Adams & Bernstein, initially practicing in the law firm’s Raleigh, NC office before relocating to the Charlotte office early in his career.  Neal became a partner in the firm and continued to practice law at Parker Poe until shortly before his death.   While at Parker Poe, Neal served as the leader of the Banking & Capital Markets Practice Group.

Neal was a warrior, having endured multiple surgeries, rounds of chemotherapy and radiation treatments since his original diagnosis with a brain tumor in 2010, all while raising a young family and continuing to practice law full time.   Neal served on the Board of Advisors for the Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke and actively raised funds through participation in the Center’s annual Angels Among Us events.  In addition to his own battle against the disease, Neal served as a navigator and confidant to dozens of other patients diagnosed with brain tumors, often serving as an initial resource for a newly diagnosed patient.  Many of those patients became close personal friends.   

Neal volunteered on building sites, served on the board of directors and was a devoted advocate for Habitat of Humanity for the Charlotte Region.   He was an amateur meteorologist, a sports junkie, a connoisseur of IPA’s, a youth basketball coach, a skilled blackjack player, and the consummate host of extended family and friends at the family’s vacation house on Lake James. 

Neal loved music -- from Prince to Lyle Lovett, music of the 80’s and 90’s, singer-songwriters, and live music of any genre.   He was known for his unassuming, laid-back demeanor and his dry, wickedly funny sense of humor, most often shared in a small group of close friends.  

Above all, Neal adored his children, always present at any field, auditorium, or other venue where they were playing, performing, or being honored.  Through his example, he taught them to love music, to laugh often, to cherish family, to be humble and to share their time and talents generously. 

Neal is survived by Joy Marchbanks Hord, his wife of 23 years; their children, Alexander Richard Cook and Virginia Marie Cook, both currently students at his own alma mater of UNC-Chapel Hill; his parents, Terry Lynn Cook and Judy Ballard Cook of Washington NC; sister, Melanie Cook Kelley and her husband, Rick of Paint Lick, KY; sister-in-law, Tiffany Cook Coltrain and her husband, Greg of Belhaven, NC, and many other cherished in-laws, nieces, nephews and other family members.  Neal was predeceased by his beloved younger brother, Richard (Richie) Dean Cook. 

The family wishes to thank the care teams at The Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center at Duke and the Atrium Health Levine Cancer Institute for serving as Neal’s comrades in arms against his brain tumor diagnosis.  The family is also incredibly grateful to the expansive network of friends who made sure that Neal’s last months of life were filled with gatherings to enjoy good food, to cheer for Carolina basketball and to revisit cherished memories.   Despite its challenges, Neal enjoyed a blessed life.

A memorial service will be held 2:00 PM on Saturday, June 8, 2024, at Providence United Methodist Church, 2810 Providence Road, Charlotte, NC.  

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be offered in memory of Neal to Habitat for Humanity of the Charlotte Region, Attn: The Cookie Fund, PO Box 220287, Charlotte, NC 28222 or The Preston Robert Tisch Brain Tumor Center, Attn: Angels Among Us 2024 on behalf of Team Big Cookie, Box 3624 DUMC, Durham, NC 27710 or Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina, PO Box 3023, Morganton, NC, 28680 or a charity of the donor’s choosing. 

Arrangements are in the care of Kenneth W. Poe Funeral & Cremation Service, 1321 Berkeley Ave., Charlotte, NC 28204; (704) 641-7606. Online condolences may be shared at www.kennethpoeservices.com.