Rodney Leonard Cook

Reidsville – Rodney Leonard Cook, 44, of 2605 Country Lane, passed away on Tuesday, December 10, 2013 at Hospice Home of Rockingham County. A funeral service will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, December 13, 2013 at Wilkerson Funeral Home Chapel with Rev. Billy Harmon and Rev. Pete Hutchins officiating. Interment will follow in Roselawn Memorial Gardens. Rodney was employed with Central Piedmont Fire Protection, where he enjoyed his work and was blessed to do so alongside his father and his brother for many years. He attended and graduated from Reidsville High School, where he loved the sport of football and played on the Varsity Team for the Reidsville Rams, as an offensive tackle, where he was named as an All Country Player his senior year. However if anyone knew Rodney, they knew his true passion stemmed from his Dad’s love of racing. Racing was in his blood. You were sure to find Jr., Rodney and Calvin at the local race track almost every Friday and Saturday night. This was his passion, his love of life, and he gave to the racing community as much as he got out of it. His dad introduced him to a love that would later earn Rodney respect on and off the track. He was well known at every local short track around and over the years would demonstrate his love of the sport in every kind of race car, whether it was in a dirt car at 311 Motor Speedway slinging red clay on Saturday nights or in a late model stock car on asphalt at Martinsville Speedway on Sunday afternoon, fighting to make the field and then finishing in the Top 5. He was able to make his name known by claiming victories all over the eastern region. Rodney was best known however, for his racing career at Ace Speedway in Altamahaw, NC, where he was to claim one of his proudest accomplishments, in 2006 and 2007 he earned the title of Track Champion, and later would be honored in Las Vegas with his wife, Nicole, for his accomplishment. He raced every driver on the track hard, he was out to win, but you would catch him before or after any race helping the other drivers with pointers and tips on how to improve their skillset and driving abilities. He was admired and respected for the driver he was, supported by a huge fan base whenever you found his racing, and had an amazing crew made up of family and friends. He was a winner on and off the track, with his humble disposition, giving spirit, and warm smile; he was the epitome of a champion. He was preceded in death by his father, Calvin H. Cook, Jr. and a brother, Dion L. Cook. Survivors include his wife of 24 years, Nicole Cook; daughter, Kimberlyn Cook; mother, Mary Elizabeth Cook; brother, Calvin H. Cook III and wife, Wendy; sisters, Pam Wilson and husband, Devin and June Dunn and husband, Shawn and several nieces and nephews. The family will receive friends from 6-8 PM on Thursday, December 12, 2013 at Wilkerson Funeral Home and other times at the home. Memorial contributions may be made to Kimberlyn Cook, C/O New Bridge Bank, PO Box 2037, Reidsville, NC 27320