Roger Cook, ‘This Old House’ landscaper, dies at 70

Roger A. Prepare dinner, proprietor of Ok&R Tree and Panorama Firm in Burlington and longtime solid member of This Outdated Home, handed away at 70 years previous, following an prolonged sickness on Wednesday, August 21, 2024. He was the loving husband of the late Kathleen E. (Gulde) Prepare dinner, with whom he had shared many great years of marriage previous to her passing on December 1, 2010.

Roger was born in Biddeford, Maine, and was one among two sons born to Lucienne and Arthur Prepare dinner, Jr. His household lived in Woburn for a while, after which finally settled down in Burlington. He graduated from Burlington Excessive College with the Class of 1972, the place he performed varsity basketball and soccer. All through his schooling, he additionally labored half time and summers doing landscaping. He then went on to earn his Bachelor of Science in wildlife administration and conservation regulation from the College of Maine. Roger began from humble beginnings, however regardless of how a lot success got here his approach, his deeply rooted humility really by no means modified. Roger based Ok&R Tree and Landscaping in 1982 together with his spouse Kathy, which they owned and operated collectively for greater than 40 years. He began with a jeep, a trailer, and a garden mower, and labored tirelessly to construct his enterprise. They labored as a crew, with Kathy overlaying the enterprise particulars and Roger within the subject specializing in vegetation and hardscape. They lived by instance and believed within the lovely consolation {that a} well-build panorama brings to a house.

Roger’s journey with This Outdated Home started in 1982, when he first appeared on the sequence. On the time, he was working because the panorama foreman for the Frost and Higgins Firm, however that didn’t cease him from contributing concepts and experience to a number of This Outdated Home initiatives. In 1988, incomes his stripes with the Lexington Mattress & Breakfast renovation, Prepare dinner grew to become a full-time solid member on the present as its backyard and panorama contractor. As an authorized panorama contractor in Massachusetts, he was an lively member of assorted organizations similar to, the Massachusetts Arborist Affiliation, New England Grows, serving as their president of the board of administrators, and the Affiliation of Panorama Contractors of Massachusetts. He additionally participated in commercials for “Dig Secure” for a few years. One would suppose that being on tv for nearly 4 a long time, receiving an Emmy Award for lifetime achievement in 2022, having over 30,000 Twitter followers and a Wikipedia web page would go to an individual’s head, however Roger all the time remained true to the particular person he was, variety, passionate, and all the time humble. He was the on a regular basis man subsequent door who was all the time prepared to assist with a yard undertaking, or coach his son and daughter’s basketball groups. He proudly stood on the sidelines for his kids and grandsons’ sporting occasions, hung with childhood associates and neighbors, and loved easy summer season days at Cape Cod fishing and sitting on the seaside. If he couldn’t be discovered supporting those he liked or his neighborhood, he might completely be discovered puttering round his personal yard or backyard. It’s these values that present why so many viewers appreciated his function on the sequence. He was right down to earth, gave nice recommendation, and by no means pretended to be somebody he wasn’t. He was relatable and gave associates and viewers alike the arrogance to deal with their very own residence initiatives, though they have been probably on a bit smaller scale. 

Roger and his spouse Kathy went to highschool collectively however didn’t date till slightly later after they graduated. They honestly made an important crew collectively. They each had companies and raised their kids in the identical neighborhood they grew up in and labored arduous to instill good values and work ethic of their kids. At each flip in life, they continued to convey out the most effective in one another, and people round them. As a father, Roger needed his kids to have each alternative, inspired them to comply with their passions, and was a continuing reminder of inserting your loved ones first when life fingers you arduous choices. He was unbelievably proud to turn into a “Papa,” and completely adored his three grandsons. The final years have been more durable for Roger, coping with the consequences of his sickness. He was a really proud man and did his finest to maintain his routine and household’s life as regular as might be. He by no means needed to burden others, solely assist them. Ultimately, his kids, daughter-in-law, prolonged household, associates, and caregivers rallied round him to present his closing years love and dignity he deserved. Roger was an extremely particular man, and on the finish of the day it was not for his achievements, however somewhat for the way he lived his life and the devotion he had for his household and family members.

Roger is survived by his two loving kids, Jason Roger Prepare dinner and his spouse Anna of Boston, and Molly E. Prepare dinner of Medford; his three grandsons, Peter, Noah, and James; his brother, Greg A. Prepare dinner and his spouse Jill of Thousand Oaks, CA; his siblings-in-law, John Gulde, Jr. and his spouse Kathleen of Chelmsford, Cheryl Hansen and her husband Robert of Mashpee, Carol Cammon and her husband Fred of Winchester, Mary Biagiotti and her husband Richard of Burlington, in addition to many different pricey nieces, nephews, kinfolk, and associates.

Roger was a son-in-law of the late John and Kathleen “Kay” Gulde.

Visiting hours will likely be held on Tuesday, August twenty seventh, from 4 p.m. till 7 p.m. on the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral House, 43 Winn St., Burlington. On the request of the household, all different companies will likely be held privately. 

As an expression of sympathy, in lieu of flowers, please plant a tree in your area people to honor Roger’s lifelong environmental efforts.

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