Bruce "Cousin Brucie" Cookinham

1942 - 2020

Bruce "Cousin Brucie" Cookinham

Salt Point - On October 7th, before a few of us grabbed Dunkin Donuts coffee, while others gorged on the political news of the day, general orientation was being held in Heaven for the day's arrivals. Unfortunately for us, Bruce Cookinham was in attendance, cloaked in carefree clothes. Fortunately for him, his loving wife of 52 years (Bernadette Cookinham) took him by the hand, anxious to show him what she had learned about their new residence within the past 3 months and where they would share eternal life together.

Bruce first graced the earth's presence on June 18, 1942 as the son of the late Charles Cookinham and Marjorie Budd.

During his 78 years here on earth, Bruce accomplished many things. However, his proudest accomplishment was the raising of his 3 sons; Scott (Becky), Brad, and Paul (Maggie) as well as his grandchildren; Scott Jr., Zachary, Brayden, Tyler, Tiffany, and Makayle.

Bruce had a deep passion for cars. If you dared to challenge him in "What make, model, and year is that?" You'd quickly be schooled for instance "No, the '68 Chevelle has the egg crate mesh grille, the '69 has the large horizontal center bar grille, and the '70 has the horizontal split grille". This deep passion began early in life as he owned/operated his gas station in Pleasant Valley. It was further solidified as he sold vehicles at Mid-Hudson Chevrolet. He also sold Mac Tools for 25 years to successful businessmen/women in Dutchess County.

In addition, Bruce was in the Army Reserves from 1962-1968 and subsequently owned and operated Top All Pizza in Hyde Park & Poughkeepsie and co-owned Coney Island Ice Cream in Poughkeepsie. As a result, the wonderful friends he made he enjoyed for the rest of his life.

Bruce led by example and showed his family that they always came first! His friends knew that they had someone they could truly rely on. His customers understood that his honesty was more important than a sale. His character was how he judged himself; loving, reliable and honest.

Bruce viewed life as an unscheduled journey fraught with dangers and opportunities. He lived his life within the definition of Abraham Lincoln:

"Character is like a tree and reputation like its shadow. The shadow is what we think of it; the tree is the real thing."

"Cousin Brucie"…we will miss you…really miss you! You brought sunlight to a dreary day, you brought kindness to your fellow travelers and you brought a twinkle in your eye to your friends and neighbors.

In keeping with his wishes, there will be no calling hours. Cremation and a private service will take place at the convenience of the family.

To help prevent future broken hearts, in lieu of flowers Bruce's family respectfully requests memorial donations to the American Heart Assoc.301 Manchester Rd. , Suite 105 Poughkeepsie, NY 12603, www.heart.org.

To send an online condolence please visit www.sweetsfuneralhome.com.