David Cook of Strathmiglo, who had a long career in retail and construction, has died aged 88.
He began his career with the family firm Andrew Cook cabinet makers in Leven before joining FW Woolworth where he rose to become a manager.
David and his late wife, Pearl, then opened Carousel, an upmarket clothier for women and children in Leven, before he formed his own construction firm in which he worked until he was nearly 80.
He was born in a private clinic in Palmerston Place, Edinburgh, to William and Flora Cook.
Apprenticeship
After he left Buckhaven High School, David began his carpentry and joinery apprenticeship and studied at Kirkcaldy Technical College.
He also showed a great aptitude for painting in his younger years but set it aside to concentrate on his career.
After working for the family firm David had a career change and joined the retail chain store, Woolworth.
After seven years and six months in the company, he rose to become a manager and ran stores in Perth, Dundee, Edinburgh, St Helens and Prestwick among other places. He worked with Woolworth for 17 years in total.
Clothing shop
David and Pearl then went into business on their own account and opened the clothing shop, The Carousel, in Leven.
When the shop closed, David returned to joinery, running his own construction firm working across Fife.
For 25 years he had the warranty engineering contract for a major garage door manufacturer and, when touring around, he could point to doors he had worked on, even in the smallest villages in Scotland.
Bereavement
Pearl died in 2014 and David found companionship and later love with with Maaike, originally from the Netherlands, who had been a long-standing friend of the couple.
Maaike said: “After Pearl died David had come to the Netherlands for a visit and it was while he was over that I took a heart attack.
“It was David’s swift action that saved my life and he stayed with me until I was strong enough.
“It then became clear that we did not want to be apart and were married in Glenrothes in September 2015.”
David and Maaike loved caravanning and would visit Dunkeld most weekends in the summer.
‘He was my safe haven’
Maaike settled into life in Scotland which she now calls home and serves as a community councillor in Strathmiglo.
Just a year after their marriage, David was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Maaike said: “It hurt his pride that he was not able to do things but he taught me to do household tasks such as drilling holes and hanging lamps.
“We bought a wheelchair so he could get out and about and he also had a mobility scooter.
“But having had motorcycles earlier in his life he found it too slow.”
David was then diagnosed with lung cancer on October 14 but remained active until December 9 when he took a turn for the worse and died nine days later.
Maaike said: “The last illness, lung cancer, was a fight he could not win. It had a hold on him long before we knew it.
“He wished to be at home and I was with him and held his hand when he took his last breath.
“David was brave, reliable, charming, serious witty, fun, naughty, precise and a friend to so many people.
“He was my safe haven, my harbour, my anchor, my everything, my world.
“I can only say that I am utterly, utterly grateful that David was in my life and I am proud to have been his wife.”
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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