Maynard Cook

Maynard passed away on December 5, 2024 at 4:10 am at Abbotsford Regional Hospital and Cancer Centre surrounded by his wife Wendy, mother in law, Nelly and son, Liam. He was not alone. The hospital staff also supported him on this last part of his journey.

Maynard will be forever missed by his partner Wendy, daughters Alana and Jessica, son Liam and his three granddaughters Rachel, Gabrielle and Sarah and all of his other family and friends too numerous to mention, but not forgotten.

Maynard was a giver and was always there for others, he built barns, worked on furniture, did repairs, fixed vehicles, mended clocks and the list goes on. He spent his life helping others in any way he could. He was a wonderful father, grandfather, uncle, brother and friend. He remained the most devoted partner to his wife of 40 years and will be dearly missed by everyone who knew him.

His life took him on many journeys, both in his professions and his interests. He loved the “hunt” when it came to antiques and also loved to repair items that needed fixing, with this talent he taught a course regarding collectibles and become an antique dealer with stores in Vancouver, New West and Surrey. He enjoyed listening to music with an extensive LP and CD collection of all genres and he had an expansive knowledge of politics and history, which he willingly shared with all those who would listen. He genuinely loved to tell stories in detail and enjoyed understanding where his family history began and all the links to his Vancouver roots. This was the reason he wanted to live his dream of a condo in Vancouver by Stanley Park, which he managed to achieve in the last few years.

He was focussed on his health, he ran and walked, cycled, kayaked and still weight trained when he was feeling healthy. He closed his last store at 55 to work from home and still managed to keep a business while doing other household activities.

A “Celebration of a Life Well Lived” will be held on

Date: January 26,2025

Time: 1:00 PM until 3:30 PM at

Location D.W.Poppy Secondary School-23752-52nd avenue, Langley,B.C.

In lieu of flowers donations can be made to either: the Canadian Cancer Society(support.cancer.ca) or to help fund a memorial bench in Maynard’s name in Stanley Park ( cookm9@telus.net)

Please RSVP if you plan on attending the celebration to help plan for the event: cookm9@telus.net , but if you forget to let us know you are still welcome to attend.


When Great Trees Fall
When great trees fall,
rocks on distant hills shudder,
lions hunker down
in tall grasses,
and even elephants
slumber after safety.

When great trees fall
in forests,
small things recoil into silence,
their senses
eroded beyond fear.
When great souls die,
the air around us becomes
light, rare, sterile.
We breathe, briefly.
Our eyes, briefly,
see with
a hurtful clarity.


Our memory, suddenly sharpened,
examines,
gnaws on kind words
unsaid,
promised walks
never taken.

Great souls die and
our reality, bound to
them, takes leave of us.
Our souls,
dependent upon their
nurture,
now shrink, wizened.
Our minds, formed
and informed by their
radiance, fall away.
We are not so much maddened
as reduced to the unutterable ignorance of
dark, cold
caves.
And when great souls die,
after a period peace blooms,
slowly and always
irregularly. Spaces fill
with a kind of
soothing electric vibration.
Our senses, restored, never
to be the same, whisper to us.
They existed. They existed.
We can be. Be and be
better. For they existed.
Maya Angelou