I’ll wait here!

Welcome to the online service of remembrance for my dad Sam Cook who passed away on June 30th 2024.  The following pages are a celebration of his life in words, pictures and music.  Sam was an avid cricket fan and you may have noticed (if you have autoplay enabled) Soul Limbo by Booker T and the MGs playing, better known as the BBC cricket theme tune, each page is accompanied by it’s own music that had meaning to Sam which can be turned off or replayed using the play button on the centre left of your screen, you can also click on any picture to view it at full size.

Incase you are wondering the relevance of the page title “I’ll wait here!”, it is because if you ever visited Sam upon leaving he always said “I’ll wait here!”, it was his way of saying farewell, hope to see you again.

Sam Cook

January 1940 – June 2024

Sam’s early life

It may come as a surprise to some of you here today, but Sam was actually born ‘Arnold Cook’ which has always been his legal name. But when his mother Ruby presented him to her brother-In-Law, Fred, for the first time, he refused to accept that he looked like an Arnold, and instead called him Sam.

His opinion clearly made quite the impression on him, and throughout his life despised anyone calling him Arnold and would therefore always introduce himself as ‘Sam’.
Nicknames seemed to be a trait that followed in the family. His brother Graham was always known as Joe, his sister Violet was nicknamed Liz and his eldest brother David was called Speedy.

After growing up in East Hunstpill and attended the local schools Sam, at the age of 14, headed straight for work within the Motor trade. Working at local company Tuckers, where he completed his apprenticeship and then Wallbuttons.

During his youth he married Paula and had two children; Dereck and Sharon. After separating, Sam met Ann in The British Legion Club which was the hotspot for the village. They married on 3rd March 1984 and Sam gained a stepson son, Clive and step daughter, Trudy.

After learning his trade, Sam made the brave decision in 1973 to start his own business, working from home in a single garage. In 1984 he sold his house and purchased the village petrol station, Bason Bridge Garage, where he lived and worked over the next 40 years.

The company became a family business as his son Dereck and step son Clive joined him in the trade and worked along side Sam. Years later Trudy and her son Vincent also joined them by working in the office. The garage may have been handy for locals but it had its other uses as well. It was a great space for restoring his old Morris cars which he would take to shows across Europe with Ann.

As a keen member of the Motor cycle club in the 70’s with his late friend Sid, he also loved fixing up old bikes for himself and the ‘kids’ making two lambretta choppers for Dereck and Clive, no matter when they wanted to play with them, Sam made sure the bikes were always ready and full of fuel. He was also a keen follower of grass track racing. Sponsoring local riders Ken Jones and Martin Heal in the sidecars.

Of course, during his youth Sam owned his own motor bike. The family recall the story of when he drove past his Mum waiting at the local bus station. Being the gent he was, he stopped and told her to get on the back. She said and I quote ‘The cats eyes looked like florescent strips’ with the speed at which Sam was driving.

He really did love tinkering with all sorts of vehicles and was always incredibly hardworking but the garage became more than work for Sam. It became a hub for the community, and through the business Sam made a wealth of friends. One of which was David Hall. As an enthusiastic amateur in mechanics, David and Sam always had a wealth of topics to talk about and would often ‘discuss’ or debate on these subjects.

Of course, Sam had a personality that was like marmite, you either liked it or you didn’t. But David always understood his dry wit and sarcasm and their friendship became more like a brotherly bond over the 30 years they knew each other.

Tribute from his good friend Dave Hall

I’ve known Sam of and on almost all my life, right from the time when as a youngster I would go into Tuckers garage on the scrounge for parts or advice or my early mechanical disasters. We actually became firm friends about 30 years ago however, when one summers day, he made me so welcome when I called in to the garage with a can for some fuel for my lawnmower, (actually, I’m joking about the last bit.)

30 years of fun, teasing and arguments, they seem to have flashed by and I’ve enjoyed every minute I’ve spent with him. So too, did I hope did Sam, in fact the only time Sam didn’t enjoy our conversations was when I was forced to agree with him on something, that rather took away some of the fun.

Behind that challenging disposition that we all knew so well however was a man of quite extraordinary talents, expertise and humour.

First and foremost, those who knew him well will recognise that Sam really liked and appreciated people. You had to “pass a few tests” to be accepted into his world, but if you were one of his pals, there was nothing he wouldn’t do for you to help if you were in difficulties. If you became ill or were in hospital, as indeed I was a few years ago, Sam was always one of the first to be calling, visiting and offering encouragement to get you back on your feet. He also very much appreciated young people. He adored his grandchildren, he loved talking about sport, particularly cricket to my own stepson and I know that he helped a great many local youngsters with their mechanical trials and tribulations over the years.

Some of the greatest philosophical and political debates of our time took place over the years at the Saturday Club. That gathering of like-minded souls which took place every Saturday morning at 11.00 am in the shop, with Colin in charge of tea and coffee, most of the problems of the world were set to rights, helped by supplies of sausage rolls, do-nuts and cakes of all kinds. Then there was the Grumpy Old Mans Breakfast, a sort of roving expedition that started off in Burtle Village Hall but ended up traversing half of Somerset in search of the perfect fry up.

Sam was much more than a mechanic; he was a highly skilled motor engineer of the old school. There was always a project on the go, and the execution was always meticulous and of incredible quality. The restoration of his Land Rover and the Morris Pick up were simply outstanding and would grace any car show, and I am lost for words about the Frog Mog which is quite simply a work of genius. His last project was the restoration of his Massey Ferguson tractor, sitting now in the garage. Sadly, it was never to be completed.

Away from the garage, Sam had many and varied interests. In his late 50s, as the result of a slightly “rash” bid at an auction of promises, he purchased a voucher for a flying lesson. Against all the odds, in true Sam fashion he qualified for his Private Pilots License and he continued flying mainly from Dunkeswell until past his 70th birthday. Those summer evening flights with him, in the clear blue sky over Devon, Dorset and Somerset are something I will never forget.

In recent years Sam turned to gardening, “I’m not interested in cars anymore”, he would frequently tell me. Of course, gardening for Sam was approached with the same enthusiasm and innovation as all his other projects. His fruit and vegetables were of outstanding quality, but what was equally fascinating was all the construction and equipment that went with it, from sheds to poly tunnels, from tractors to irrigation systems there was always a mechanical solution to the challenges thrown up by nature. One of my favourites was the Sierra Estate, specially adapted to pump carbon monoxide down the rabbit holes to get rid of the bunnies. Sam and his beloved little dog Emerald spent so many happy hours together in that garden.

I’m sure we all have our favourite Sam memories which will stay with us forever, so in bringing these few words to an end I will recall just two of mine.

Some of you will remember the Christmas Half Beard of a couple of years ago. Fed up with being compared to Father Christmas Sam shaved half his face so that you had two choices. Sam’s very own solution to turning the other cheek.

Another favourite involves Sam and Ann’s love of cruises. Now Sam always liked to dress comfortably on these expeditions. Comfortable to Sam meant a clean set of overalls and his work boots, and Ann has some wonderful photos to prove it. On this particular trip, all went well on the outward leg, and it was only on the return journey through Germany, passing through one of the numerous security checks, that alarm bells started ringing, literally. A search by the officials soon revealed this, (PRODUCE KNIFE), hidden away in one of his overall pockets. I’m not sure Ann enjoyed being interrogated by German Border Police.

And now, in what feels like the blink of an eye, he’s left us. Who is going to tell me every week that my Land rover is a pile of scrap, (I think that’s what he said)? Who is going to argue with me that Nigel Farage is our next Prime Minister? Who will now tell the world just how rubbish I am at reversing a tractor and trailer? I loved him like a grumpy older brother, and I shall miss him so very very much.