C. Clem Cooke III

Clem was born October 10, 1956, in Columbus, Ohio to Carl Clement Cooke Jr. and Macy Margaret Cooke, making them parents for the first time. Every year, for the next three years, a younger brother joined the family and then, twelve years later, their sister arrived – much to everyone’s delight - to complete their sibling group.

Clem always dreamed of working in the family business, Fritz-Rumer-Cooke Co., Inc., and started at a very young age to tag along with his father to the office and tool yard. He was so proud of the fact that he would be the fifth generation of his family to run the business and that the company was now 145 years old. He loved everything about trains and the railroad industry. His interest in someday running the company encouraged him to obtain an Associates Degree in Business from Columbus State University. In 2002, after his father retired, Clem became President and CEO of FRC, and continued to run the business, along with his wife, Karen, up until his passing. After his family, FRC was the thing he was most passionate about and it showed in everything he did. He was usually one of the first ones to arrive and the last ones to leave each and every day. He enjoyed mentoring younger employees and teaching them all about the business. He felt this was the way for our industry to survive. With all the challenges that were faced in running a family business with close to 40 employees, he still thrived in this environment and made it his mission to make the company a success. Clem, always humble, would tell people it was a total team effort at FRC and that the people who worked with him were not just employees but part of our FRC family. He and his wife agreed that they would always treat their employees with respect, love, kindness and compassion as that was truly his nature. Clem also told employees, vendors and customers that FRC was guided by the golden rule and that the company operated under the following principles – that we treat everyone fairly, that we were honest, that we would honor our commitments, that we would do the best job we could and that we would treat everyone with respect. He loved to say that a “clear conscience makes for a soft pillow”.

On December 27, 1975, at his home in Worthington, Clem met Karen O’Callahan who would, on July 8, 1978, become his wife. On July 23, 1985, Clem and Karen welcomed their first daughter, Courtney and then on February 2, 1990, their second daughter, Caitlin arrived to complete their family. In her senior year of high school, Courtney met her future husband, Andrew Bean, while they both worked at Pizza Hut. In 2010, they were married and then in 2015, their son, Owen Clement Bean arrived. At a Columbus Blue Jackets Playoff game in 2018, after he squeezed her father’s knee in celebration of a goal, Caitlin met her partner in life, Dr. Jon Baird, and they currently live in Sarasota, Florida.

Clem was preceded in death by his parents, Carl and Macy (Francy) Cooke and his nephew, Daniel Cooke. His is survived by his wife of 46 years, Karen (O’Callahan) Cooke, his daughter and son-in-law Courtney Cooke and Andrew Bean, his daughter Caitlin Cooke and Dr. Jon Baird, his grandson Owen Clement Bean, his brothers Tim Cooke, Alan Cooke and his wife Adele, Phil Cooke and his wife Denise, his sister Francy Zembo, nephews James, Jon, Jason, Todd, William, Christopher, Bryan, Zach, Wilson, Tyler, Cooper, Griffin; nieces Ashley, Jessica, Sara, Erica, McKenzie, Elaine, Olivia; great-nephews Robbie, Gio, Tyler, Kyle, Grant, Austin, Trey, Brian, Alex; and great nieces Lily and Addie.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Monday, July 8, 2024, at Journey Fellowship of Galena, 70 N. Walnut Street, Galena, OH. Calling hours from 2:00-5:00 pm, service at 5:00 pm with a reception immediately following for family and friends.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Clem’s memory to Journey Fellowship of Galena online by going to journeyfellowship.co