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Roger A. Cook, the Massachusetts landscape contractor who brought gardens, trees, and outdoor construction into the living rooms of This Old House viewers, died on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at age 70. His family and the show’s official remembrance said he had been dealing with an extended illness. No reliable public source has identified a more specific cause of death.
A nearly four-decade career with This Old House
Cook’s connection with This Old House began in 1982, during the program’s second season. At the time, he was working as a landscape foreman for Frost and Higgins and contributed to early projects including the Bigelow Project and the Woburn House.
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He became a full-time cast member and the show’s garden and landscape contractor in 1988, during the Lexington Bed & Breakfast renovation. His television work continued for nearly four decades and included appearances on Ask This Old House.
Although Cook is sometimes described broadly as an “original cast member,” the more precise description is that he became involved with the program in 1982 and joined the full-time cast in 1988. That distinction matters because it reflects both the length of his association with the show and the chronology documented in its official biography.
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He made the landscape part of the house
Cook helped change the way home-improvement television treated outdoor spaces. His work covered plants and trees, soil, lawns, garden beds, stonework, drainage, lighting, orchards, and other elements that connect a house to its site.
Richard Trethewey, a longtime This Old House colleague, described Cook’s contribution as bringing “the backyard into the house.” The phrase captures Cook’s practical approach: a renovation was not complete when the interior walls were finished. The yard, planting plan, walkways, retaining features, and relationship between the property and its surrounding land also required careful design and construction.
Archived Cook-attributed material from This Old House addresses subjects such as lawn repair, soil testing, garden tools, planting, storm-water runoff, landscape lighting, bluestone and flagstone work, orchard planting, yard cleanup, and raised garden beds. The material remains useful as a record of the subjects he taught on television, though readers should distinguish older original advice from current page-update dates on the show’s website.
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Cook was born in Biddeford, Maine, in 1954, and grew up in Burlington, Massachusetts. He graduated from Burlington High School in 1972 and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in wildlife management and conservation law from the University of Maine in 1977.
In 1982, Cook and his wife, Kathleen “Kathy” Cook, founded K&R Tree and Landscape. The company reportedly began with a Jeep, a trailer, and lawn equipment before developing into a full-service landscape-construction business.
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Cook focused on plants, trees, and hardscape work, while Kathleen handled business responsibilities. The official This Old House remembrance said K&R Tree and Landscape continued operating after his death.
His professional credentials extended beyond television. Cook was a certified landscape contractor in Massachusetts and was associated with the Massachusetts Arborist Association, New England Grows, and the Association of Landscape Contractors of Massachusetts. His obituary also said he served as president of the boards of directors of New England Grows and the Association of Landscape Contractors of Massachusetts.
Health-related departure from television
Cook addressed his reduced role publicly in a 2018 letter to This Old House readers. He wrote that several health issues had made television work more difficult and that he wanted to focus more on his health and family.
The show’s official remembrance says he stepped down in 2020 because of health issues, while the current cast biography dates his departure from the role to January 2020. Those accounts support a health-related reduction and departure, but they do not establish a diagnosis. His death should therefore be described as following a long or extended illness, without speculation about a more specific medical cause.
Mentorship and influence
Cook’s legacy is not limited to the projects that appeared on screen. The show’s biography also describes him as a mentor to later landscape professionals, including Jenn Nawada.
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That influence is visible in the way his protégés and colleagues describe landscape work: as a combination of horticultural knowledge, construction skill, observation, and attention to detail. Cook’s television lessons were generally grounded in the same principles that shaped his contracting career—understand the site, choose plants and materials carefully, solve water and soil problems early, and build outdoor spaces that can endure.
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Family and life away from the cameras
Cook’s wife, Kathleen, died of cancer on December 1, 2010. He is survived by his son, Jason Roger Cook, and daughter, Molly E. Cook; his son’s wife, Anna; three grandsons, Peter, Noah, and James; and his brother, Greg Cook.
His family obituary described his close relationships with his children and grandchildren and his enjoyment of fishing, Cape Cod, gardening, and outdoor life. Those interests were closely connected to the work viewers saw from him: a hands-on appreciation for plants, land, water, and the changing seasons.
A legacy of conservation and service
The Cook family announced plans for a Cook Family Giving Fund intended to continue his legacy of helping others. The areas identified in the official remembrance included wildlife and land conservation, medical research, childhood education, and support for military veterans.
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Because the status and donation details of the fund can change, readers should verify the current official information before contributing. Cook’s conservation legacy can also be honored in practical, noncommercial ways, such as supporting reputable wildlife and land-conservation work locally or planting an appropriate native tree where conditions allow. A memorial planting should be planned with attention to species, mature size, soil, utilities, and local ecological conditions—not treated as a one-size-fits-all gesture.
How to revisit Roger Cook’s work
Viewers who want to revisit Cook’s approach can look for Roger Cook on This Old House and Ask This Old House archival segments through the show’s current distribution platforms. Availability, pricing, and individual episode listings vary by country and can change over time. An archival stream or subscription is simply a way to watch his work; it should not be presented as a contribution to the Cook family’s giving fund.
His older instructional material is especially valuable when read in context. Current conditions, regional planting recommendations, water-management practices, safety standards, and product availability may differ from the time of the original broadcast. The enduring lesson is less about copying a particular planting or tool than about treating the landscape as a functional, constructed part of the home.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Remembering Roger Cook
Roger Cook brought a landscape contractor’s perspective to a national audience for almost 40 years. He explained outdoor construction without reducing it to decoration, showed how trees and gardens affect the way a property works, and helped viewers see the yard as part of the home’s architecture and daily life.
His work on This Old House, his leadership in the landscape profession, his business with Kathy, and his mentorship of younger practitioners form a legacy rooted in useful knowledge. The Cook family’s emphasis on conservation, education, medical research, and veterans’ support extends that legacy beyond television and into service to other people and the land.
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Frequently Asked Questions
When did Roger Cook die?
Roger A. Cook died on Wednesday, August 21, 2024, at age 70.
What was Roger Cook’s cause of death?
Official and contemporary accounts said Cook died after an extended or long illness. They did not identify a more specific medical cause, so further claims would be speculation.
When did Roger Cook join This Old House?
Cook first became involved with the program in 1982 while working for Frost and Higgins. He became a full-time cast member and the show’s garden and landscape contractor in 1988.
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Cook reduced his television work because of health issues and stepped away from his role in 2020; the current cast biography gives January 2020 as the timing of his departure.
What was Roger Cook’s landscaping company?
Cook and his wife, Kathleen “Kathy” Cook, founded K&R Tree and Landscape in 1982. The business continued operating after his death, according to the official This Old House remembrance.
The Bottom Line
Roger Cook died at 70 after a long illness, leaving behind a nearly 40-year association with This Old House, a respected Massachusetts landscape-construction business, generations of viewers and professionals he taught, and a family legacy centered on conservation and service.
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