A good man died Christmas morning.
A very good man, an excellent co-worker, an exceptional role model. One of the most decent human beings I've ever known.
Dan Cook, long the outdoors editor of this newspaper and the daily afternoon version that preceded the merger, slipped away a little after 11 a.m. Saturday.
"Peacefully," his wife said.
But not without a fight.
When cancer first attacked him, he had his stomach entirely removed. That was in the spring of 2008. He mentioned it matter-of-factly, almost as if he were going to try out a new rod and reel, but those of us who heard that news were very worried. I didn't know anyone could exist without a stomach.
Contributed PhotoFormer Chattanooga Times Free Press outdoors editor Dan Cook, an unforgettable image of helpfulness and reliability.
But within months Dan was eating regular food and seeming to do just fine. His weight got back up to 170 pounds, and conversations with him were pretty much what they always had been.
But the cancer was in his liver, and it wasn't going away. And when it was clear that treatment was no longer effective, Dan and Freda faced the situation the way they always had faced difficulties, with a figurative shrug and a catalog of their blessings.
Their pictures could be beside a description of the Serenity Prayer.
"We're kind of stoics," Freda said on Christmas Eve, as she said her husband of 38 years was "down to days now."
A licensed clinical social worker with a private counseling business, she stopped working in mid-November, and hospice care was brought in soon after. But Dan was able to accompany Freda on some errands and to a church dinner as recently as a week and a half ago.
He was hoping to stay around long enough to see his son Sam get married this Thursday in Dahlonega. Sam, who's on the staff at the University of Georgia as a computer tech, has an older brother, Jason, and the Cooks plus Sam's fiancee were all together as Christmas approached.
But Dan's health took a downward turn Saturday, Dec. 18, and it became soon apparent that he wouldn't be able to make the wedding.
A longtime deacon and driver in the bus ministry at Poplar Springs Baptist Church, among other roles for the Ringgold congregation, Dan made his passing a special birthday observance for his Lord instead. He was 71.
Arrangements will be finalized today, but Freda is planning for visitation Monday at the Heritage Funeral Home on Battlefield Parkway and the funeral service on Tuesday.
Stories by Dan Cook were published at 400 East 11th St. for 42 years, even after his retirement. The last one ran on Nov. 11, in fact, and he was passing along "outdoor notes" until just over a week ago.
"His name was synonymous with our Outdoor Page, and he was known throughout the outdoors community nationwide," Times Free Press sports editor Jay Greeson said Saturday. "He was an accomplished writer, a true professional and a better person."
Sam Woolwine, a previous sports editor who came to the News-Free Press within two weeks of Dan in October 1968 and likewise continued to contribute to this sports section for years after retirement, had visited Dan several times in recent months. Dan contributed a subject idea for a devotional book involving sports and athletes that Woolwine is about to compile.
"The thing I most admired about Dan was that he was dependable," Woolwine said. "If he said he was going to do something, you could bank on him doing it. I don't think he ever missed a deadline; he was usually way early.
"He was a joy to be around and a joy to work with. He had a deep and an abiding faith, and he was a great friend. I'll miss him."
Dan won a lot of awards for his stories and photographs, particularly from the Southeastern and national outdoors press associations, but stories involving Dan are pretty good, too. Some of his favorite regular subjects were "characters," and in his quiet way Dan was one, too.
He was recruited from the Columbus (Ga.) newspaper by the original sports editor of the News-Free Press, E.T. Bales, who specifically wanted Dan to assist him and eventually take over his own outdoors coverage. And through the years Dan enjoyed impersonating Bales with high-pitched observations and requests.
As a storyteller, Dan took you on rabbit trails, coming back repeatedly to his main plot and then venturing off again. And he had legendary quickness in getting to the Free Press lunchroom each day when it opened. Despite his genuine humility, he had vanity in one area: He didn't like being bald and went through a series of toupees.
One day he wore a black shoe and a brown shoe to work, then could only shake his head when someone wondered if he had a similar pair at home.
His geniality made him a common foil, particularly of former sports editor Allan Morris, but no one owed Dan more. Morris didn't drive, and Dan was his most frequent chauffeur. In my early days at the paper, it wasn't uncommon to hear Morris tease Dan all morning about a variety of things, but then as Dan started putting on his coat to leave, Morris would say, "Can I catch a ride, Dan?"
And of course he always could.
To read recent stories written by Dan, visit his Outdoors page.