Roger Cook obit

Remembering Roger Cook, 1954-2024

With tremendous sadness, This Old House bids farewell to our friend and longtime landscape contractor, Roger Cook, who passed away on August 21, 2024 after a long battle with illness. 

He was not on the list.

Roger’s time with This Old House spanned nearly 40 years, from his first involvement in 1982—the show’s second season—to his decision to step down in 2020 because of health issues. Roger was our much-loved colleague, treasured by the entire This Old House community for his soft-spoken but no-nonsense approach to every aspect of landscape contracting. He was always there with the answers we needed.

“I remember every lesson from Roger,” says TOH executive producer Chris Wolfe, whose own garden bears many examples of Roger’s advice. “More importantly, there are millions of people whose lives have been enriched by everything Roger taught them.”

Roger’s love of the outdoors was a constant throughout his life. Born in 1954, he grew up in Burlington, MA, and considered a career in forestry while also working during college with local landscape and tree firms. In 1977, he received a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife management and conservation law from the University of Maine.

In 1982, Roger and his wife Kathleen founded K&R Landscape, focusing on plants and hardscape. They slowly expanded the business from their start, with one Jeep pulling a trailer full of lawn-care equipment to a full-service landscape construction firm. The business continues to thrive today.

“Roger’s specialty and passion was plants, and no one was more knowledgeable,” says Fred Pendleton, Roger’s longtime friend and now co-owner of K&R Landscape with colleague Tom Pica. “You could ask Roger any question about any plant—which ones would survive shade, how to treat diseases, which perennials or annuals to choose, the best woody plants or deciduous trees for a certain backyard, even the Latin names for everything—and he knew it.”

“Everything I know I learned from Roger,” says Tom Pica, co-owner of K&R Landscape. “He was one of the greatest people you want to know. He worked hard, and we often worked 10 hours a day, six days a week. He absolutely believed that if you were going to do something, you should do it properly, whatever it took.”

Roger was a certified landscape contractor in Massachusetts and an active member of the Massachusetts Arborist Association. He also served as president of the board of directors of New England Grows and the Association of Landscape Contractors of Massachusetts.

Roger’s journey with This Old House began in 1982 when he first appeared in the series. At the time, he worked as the landscape foreman for the Frost and Higgins Company, but that didn’t stop him from contributing ideas and expertise to several This Old House projects, including Season 2’s Bigelow Project and Season 3’s Woburn House. A phone call several years later from landscape architect Tom Wirth changed everything. It was 1988, the project was Season 10’s Lexington Bed & Breakfast renovation, and Roger was on board full-time as the landscape contractor. When Ask This Old House debuted in 2002, Roger was part of the team, providing expert landscape advice directly to homeowners.

From the start, Roger’s expertise and easygoing manner won hearts, an affection that only grew during the course of his dozens of TOH project houses, hundreds of Ask This Old House house calls, and numerous This Old House magazine articles.

The enthusiasm for Roger was easy to understand. On camera, he was quick and direct with his advice, often offering a catchy saying to help homeowners know what to do. Planting a tree? “Plant it high, it won’t die; plant it low, it won’t grow,” was his advice. Frustrated while growing clematis on a trellis? “The first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, the third year it leaps,” he counseled. Laying a brick pathway? “A walk is only as good as the base,” he would say before proceeding to explain a process that involved digging, measuring, leveling, adding stone dust, compacting, adding sand, leveling again, and only then getting to the pavers.

On countless occasions, it was the no-nonsense Roger who got things rolling by reminding everyone at a TOH project house or on an Ask This Old House house call: “There comes a time on every job where we stop talking and we start working. You ready?”

His colleagues at This Old House admired his knowledge and kindness, and shared some thoughts:

“Roger was very kind, built up a good company, and knew so much about everything in the yard from lawns to stone walls. It was clear how knowledgeable he was and that he was a true arborist.” — TOH master carpenter Norm Abram

“Roger was a great guy, always the first to get down and dirty in the mud. Whatever had to get done, he got it done. There was never a problem and he always had a positive outlook. He will be missed dearly.” — TOH general contractor Tom Silva

“Roger was a true gentle giant, competent and quiet and always ready to help any and all. We miss our brother.” — TOH plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey

“We lost a brother today. A big-hearted, larger-than-life brother who was as kind as he was generous. I’ll miss his smile and his friendship terribly.” — TOH host Kevin O’Connor

“Roger is America’s landscape legend. He had a big heart and a kind soul. I will miss my big brother.” — TOH landscape contractor Jenn Nawada