Tributes paid to former fireman and Sealed Knot founder member Terry Cooper (From York Press)

Tributes paid to former fireman and Sealed Knot founder member Terry Cooper

7:58am Monday 14th September 2009 in

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THE widow of a former York fireman and founder member of the Sealed Knot has paid tribute to her husband, who has died aged 76.

Maureen Cooper told of a dedicated husband, father and grandfather who filled his spare time with a huge number of interests from bee-keeping and archaeology to cooking and gardening.

Terry Cooper was born in Halifax in March 1933, later moving to York as a child where he was a pupil at St George’s School.

In 1949, at the age of 15 he followed his father’s military career to join the Royal Navy.

“He just wanted to do something in uniform and fancied the Royal Navy,“said Mrs Cooper.

During the next six years he saw active service in the Korean War, and was stationed off the coast of Japan on the listening ship HMS Ladybird.

“He loved his time in the navy and it was because of that he formed the Ladybird Association in the early 90s, which is still going today,” said his widow.

Upon the death of his father in 1955, Mr Cooper was given compassionate discharge from the Navy and he worked for the next five years at the War Office in Fishergate.

In 1961 he joined the fire service where he was to spend the rest of his working life. Stationed at Clifford Street in York, he rose to the rank of station officer.

In 1968, Mr Cooper’s love of history lead him and a group of friends to form the Sealed Knot Civil War re-enactment society. The organisation has grown in size and reputation to become the largest and best known re-enactment society in the country.

“We made a lot of good friends and it was very colourful time, especially for the kids – who learned a lot,” said Mrs Cooper.

His involvement with the society eventually lead to an interest in archaeology, and his friendship with York history lecturer, Peter Wenham, saw Mr and Mrs Cooper work on some of the major digs in and around York including the Roman burial ground Acomb and the discovery of the grave of Bar Convent founder, Mary Ward.

He was also made an honorary member of the Bexhill Hanoverian Study Society.

His widow said: “I was taking to a friend of his recently who said he didn’t know anybody who didn’t like Terry.”

Mr Cooper died on August 27 in York Hospital after suffering two heart attacks earlier this year.

His funeral takes place tomorrow at St Margaret Clitherow in Haxby at 11am.