Best known for his time behind the bar of the Staging Post Hotel, Bucksburn, former landlord Ed Cocker has died aged 93.
Born at home, at Eastside of Carnie, Skene, on January 17, 1929 to farmers Helen and George Cocker, Ed was the third of 10 children.
He attended Garlogie Primary then Skene School where he was known as a bright, clever, boy who loved football.
Farmer’s son
By the time Ed was 12, war had broken out, and despite interruptions to his education he did well at school. However, as a farmer’s son he would complete a full day in the classroom then work on the farm in the evening.
Too young to do his bit in the war he joined the Air Training Corps and loved going away on the annual two-week summer camps.
Had farming not been his inevitable path, becoming a mechanic would have been Ed’s dream. Indeed, he always had a lifelong interest in motorsports and a passion for cars.
However, farming wasn’t without mechanical fun. In 1948, he did get to use their very first tractor. With no cab, the only snag was the Scottish weather. Ed took to wearing an old army coat rain, hail or shine.
Love and marriage
In the early 1950s, Ed met Jenny Anderson from Westhill. She was working in a local bar and caught Ed’s eye. They started courting and in December 1952 they were married.
Their first home was a one-bedroom house on the grounds of the farm with no hot water, but they later moved to another farm property.
This time the two-bedroom bungalow had electricity and a coal fire providing hot water. To them it was luxury.
The couple started a family beginning with the birth of daughter Linda, then sons Brian and David.
A different future
Although Ed continued farming, he loved the opportunity to help out with Jenny in the pub where she worked. He and his wife would step in when the owners were on holiday. Always a fan of bar banter, Ed was a natural with the customers.
However, tragedy struck the couple when their youngest child, David, was killed in an accident aged six. The direction their lives took changed after this.
When his father retired Ed made the decision to move away from farming and he and Jenny took over the management of the Staging Post Hotel and bar in Bucksburn.
The story of the building fascinated Ed. Formerly a historic stop-off for stagecoaches and travellers, there were stables, which would later become a car park, behind it. He and Jenny made it their mission to make the pub a success.
It soon gained a good reputation from locals and visitors alike, and became a popular place at the weekends. Favoured by people visiting the area for work, they catered for travelling salesmen and oil and gas engineers, sometimes for weeks at a time. Ed served stovies on a Saturday night and introduced a resident live band which played something for everyone.
And they even became the destination of choice for the Alexander Brothers when they toured in Aberdeen.
After hours
When he wasn’t managing the pub Ed enjoyed playing darts with the Staging Post team, and golfing at both Ballater and Braemar golf clubs where he was a member.
The couple’s son Brian left school and joined the RAF, stationed in Cyprus for a number of years.
Ed and Jenny loved to visit as often as possible, enjoying the countryside, its sunshine, the people and the food. So much so that on retirement they bought a holiday property in Paphos, which became a much-loved second home.
Ed was a keen gardener in the Scottish summer but would fly off in the winter months to enjoy the Cyprus sun.
When grandchildren and great-grandchildren came along Ed relished every moment with the next generation, always eager to hear how they were doing at school and what they wanted to do with their lives.
He also enjoyed visits to Jenny’s aunt and uncle in Peebles. This inspired their decision to relocate there when they retired from the Staging Post after 30 happy and fulfilling years.
Later years
On his retirement at 60, which was mandatory for the brewery, Ed was still fit and active.
He would step in and help in a local hotel and also became a volunteer driver for the Red Cross, picking up elderly patients for hospital appointments.
Jenny passed away in 2014 leaving Ed adrift after 60 years together.
Ed, known as robust in strength and character, was still able to enjoy holidays accompanied by his family, doing his crosswords and having a wee dram most evenings as a night cap.
After a lifetime of good health – Ed passed away on August 8 following cancer.
Ed is survived by six siblings. He was very proud that until last year when he lost his eldest sister and another the month before he died, that he and his brothers and sisters ranged in age from 77 to 97 years old.
Linda, Ed’s daughter, said: “We miss him. My dad liked to keep in touch with everyone. He had a good relationship with and still kept in touch with all his siblings and the wider family.
“In his time he was well known in Bucksburn and Aberdeen because he was a character behind the bar. It’s a sad time but those of us he has left behind but he said before he passed that he lived a good life.”
You can read the family’s announcement here.
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