Mr. Harry Thomson Cooke

He was a man who sometimes was hard to read when you first met him. He sometimes came across a little crusty but once you got to know him he really was a marsh mellow.

He once was called a curmudgeon by a man a few years ago, and when he got home he looked up the word. When he figured out what it meant he was so mad that he had not responded to him but decided it was only his opinion and moved on.

His life was all about his family, Work, Church and Rotary. His family was all about appearances. Be on time, look professional or as a kid clean clothes, be polite, a firm handshake and treating others as you would like to be treated. His work was important to him. He had very high standards and wanted others to respect this and follow in his footsteps. Church was where he came with his family, to recharge and to put order back into his life or as we saw it close his eyes and reflect. Of course while reflecting Mom would give him a nudge with her elbow to make sure he was listening closely to the message that the minister was bringing that day! And then there was Rotary!! Rotary was his one single constant other than his family over the years. He found solitude, purpose and a great deal of satisfaction from the things that the Bowmanville Rotary Club did and was proud of his personal accomplishments as well. He was the treasurer, he was a past President and a loyal member who maintained perfect attendance for much of the 52 years he was a member. All these things were what made up his DNA and he made his life mission to stay true each day and be successful.

Dad was built around his family as we created his social life. I suppose like any parent your life changes with your environment but with us Mom carried the ball and we continued to run interference. Dad was there to referee and bring order. Well that’s what he thought anyway!!

As kids we were busy with school, sports, and for some of us, band and theatre, Mom did most of the directing and organizing as to where we were going. We lived close to all that we did and we walked everywhere so where we could not walk Mom drove. Dad would try to be there when he could and was always happy that he made it.

When we all moved out Mom still remained the constant social convenor keeping everything on the calendar. When we called to find out if they could come for dinner or go to a show Dad would always say well I will have to get back to you. I need to check the calendar and with your mother. We would call Mom and bang everything was set and she would make sure that Dad was there. She really kept him on the straight and narrow.

I am pretty sure that from the first day they met mom knew that she was going to have to be the organizer in the family or they would never go anywhere. She had the ability to make him whole no matter what and together they were two amazing people who allowed 4 young boys to grow up to be men.

When Mom passed away 7 years ago, Dad changed quite a bit. He had church, and Rotary but he did not have Mary and when she died an enormous piece of Dad died to. He became home bound except for the Church and Rotary. He did his daily chores, kept a neat Condo but stayed pretty close to home and the television as possible.

He drove right up to about 3 months before he died. For our family and anyone who drove with him over the years, this was not good!! Dad was one of the drivers who could take a short trip and turn it into the most memorable journeys in your life. For as long as I can remember he always drove away and then remembered to put on his seatbelt. Watching him steer right take both hands off the steering wheel, and fasten his seatbelt would add years to your grey hair and at the same time subtract one of the 9 lives of your life.

What he really was proud about was his family. He was proud of what they did and how they did it. He was proud because they did it right, just like he would. As a parent and especially as a father, he planted seeds and watched them grow. When I look out at his family in this room I see great things. I see four boys that grew up to be great men. I see people who have dedicated themselves to changing lives, bringing out the best in communities and teaching the people they touch how to be respectful. When I look out at this family I see that he taught us to think for ourselves, to give a firm handshake and do things better.

Most recently he managed another milestone in his life and that he became a Great Grandfather. A feat that has not been achieved in our family for a very long time. Dad met Logan a few weeks before he became ill and for that I am very grateful. To see him holding this new life gave me a clearer picture that a small child can make the world stop and smile just by holding them close. Dad was over the moon to be able to be part of this new life. He knew he had shared that moment with Mom and all was right.

Over the past few days I have listened to the stories and condolences from this community. Your can be pretty humbled when you hear how much this man has touched the people that are in it. We have been overwhelmed to know how much dad has been a part of the success in Bowmanville and how he will be missed.

I want to tell you about the 4 boys that Harry brought into the world with Mom. They are the best. As one of Dad’s main care givers they have given me the strength to be there when Dad needed help. They have supported me, guided me, listened to me go on and on about the best way to be there for Dad and they have trusted me to do what is necessary for Dad. You cannot find 3 finer people who carry their hearts on their sleeves and are willing to do anything. They are Harry’s sons and he done good!!

We now have reached a part where we no longer have parents. Harry and Mary have done all they can do on this earth and it is now up to us.

When I look out on the people who have joined us today to celebrate dad’s life I want to thank you for looking after him. I want to thank you for being his friends, for being there when we could not. I want to thank you for giving him a place in this community so he could make people and things better. And mostly I want to thank you all your kind thoughts and prayers.

Its time to move on and reboot our lives and take the past two days as energy to go forward and concur. As a family we will reflect, remember great stories and the difficult days that Dad had near the end. We will gather ourselves and go back to our lives and continue his great work. And hopefully, somehow soon we as a family will be able to celebrate not only the Memories of Harry Cooke but also a Stanley Cup with the Leaf’s!

Hello, for those of you who don’t know, my name is Ryan. I am Harry’s youngest grandchild and Bruce’s youngest son. I’d like to start by acknowledging that even though this is a time of mourning a loss, this is also a time to celebrate a lengthy and wonderful life that my grandpa lived. I would also like to acknowledge that although I am the only one speaking, I would like to think that what I am about to say will represent the feelings of the grandchildren and anyone who knew my grandfather.

Justin and I grew up in Sault Ste Marie, about 7 hours away from our family in southern Ontario. Our time together was limited, hockey tournaments became our family reunions bringing in a crowd of Cooke’s including grandpa to each game. Always being able to feel a Cooke’s presence and giving us that extra drive to succeed.

Two years ago I made the decision to go to school in Oshawa, this brought me a lot closer to grandpa and I quickly became a new member to Murray and Sandy’s biweekly lunch date with him. I went from seeing him 2-3 times a year to 2-3 times a month. Sometimes even too much for grandpa to handle throwing out the random and sarcastic “you again” comments. Occasionally grandpa would bring me to the Mandarin buffet, always leaving him with a loss of words as to the amount of food that I would consume. He seemed to believe that I was just in it for the free lunches but I honestly am so appreciative and privileged to have been involved in the last two years of his life. I hope and I like to think that it meant as much to him as it meant to me.

Grandpa was a man that truly cared about his friends and family, always keeping up to date and waiting to hear new and exciting news. He would call frequently, with open ears, anxious to hear about sports, school, progress on his new great grandchild Logan and anything exciting in the lives of his loved ones. He was an honest man, with strong beliefs, having no problem putting someone in line or stating his opinion. With that being said, grandpa would be the first person to show off his family because of how proud he was. He would always have pictures on hand for anyone and everyone to see, most recently being the newest baby Cooke.

Grandpa lived a life that I can only aspire to live. He had an amazing wife, my grandma who was an all-around beautiful lady. He traveled around the world, spending time in Australia, Scotland, Alaska and Texas. He has housed exchange students and was an active Rotary member contributing greatly to the surrounding community. And on top of all of that, it is amazing to look around at all of his friends and family that have come out in the past few days to appreciate and show respect for a life well lived.

I would like to take this moment to thank my grandfather for all of our time spent together and all of the memories that I have and will cherish for the rest of my life.

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COOKE, Harry Thomson – Peacefully after a short illness at the Lakeridge Health Bowmanville on Wednesday, January 7, 2015 at the age of 87 years. Beloved husband of the late Mary. Loving father of Bryan (Grace), Murray (Sandy), Paul (Paula) and Bruce (Kelly). Dear grandpa of Michael (Robyn), Nicholas (Nancy), Emily, Brendon, Taylor, Justin and Ryan. Cherished great grandfather of Logan. Father-in-law of Joni. Harry worked for Goodyear Tire for 37 years and was a Rotary Paul Harris Fellow and past president of the Bowmanville Rotary Club, which he was a loyal and active member for over 50 years. Friends may call at the Morris Funeral Chapel, Bowmanville, Ontario on Sunday, January 11, 2015 from 2-4 and 7-9 pm. Funeral service will be celebrated in the chapel on Monday, January 12, 2015 at 11 a.m. Rev. Jennifer Broomhead officiating. Interment Park Lawn Cemetery, Toronto, Ontario. Memorial contributions to the Bowmanville Rotary Club or the Ontario Lung Association would be appreciated by the family. Expressions of sympathy may be made at www.arthurfuneralhome.com