With great sadness we say farewell to Ken Cooley, Move Manager for Pickfords Business Solutions, who recently passed away following a 10 month battle with cancer.
Ken entered the world of business moving in 1990 as a casual porter for Bullens where his brother Allen also worked.
The wide set of skills he brought to the removals industry were honed in a diverse range of prior roles, from membership of the British Army’s Royal Signals, to pub and nightclub ownership and bread delivery!
For a man with no formal training in the removals industry, his acquired knowledge and resourcefulness were outstanding. He was a wizard with safes, and his ability to walk round a library and add up the move without the need for a calculator was truly amazing!
Since joining Pickfords, Ken managed some of the largest and most prestigious relocations undertaken by the company. His first major job as Move Manager was Norfolk & Norwich Hospital.
Known for his unique turn of phrase, Ken’s colleagues could expect “Five minutes for a slurp”, before they had to “crack on” “up and down the dancers (stairs)” at “ramming speed”!
A tough task master, Ken was well liked and highly respected by all the men he supervised. He would never ask anyone to do something that he wasn’t prepared to do himself, and his commitment to the job was exceptional, working 24 hour shifts to ensure the smooth transition of A&E departments during hospital moves.
Clive Johnson, who worked with Ken on many major hospital moves, recalls that, “Ken was the consummate professional. However difficult things got, Ken always found a way to get the job done and would never let anyone down.”
Ken’s last major job for Pickfords was Coventry University Library where, in a typical display of his ingenuity, he built a platform of euro pallets, complete with safety rail, to enable vans to be loaded via the rear and side doors simultaneously.
Ken leaves behind his adult sons Wayne and James, as well as three grandchildren.
The funeral will be held at Canley Crematorium in Coventry on 6 July.