April 3, 2026, started like any other day in Marion, Virginia. By nightfall, Christopher Chad Cook was gone. He was 60 years old. The news traveled fast through the automotive world he had been part of for decades. People who knew him are now struggling to accept that someone so full of energy will not walk back into his shop.
Chris was born in Roanoke on May 1, 1965. The Blue Ridge Mountains shaped him early. He grew up curious about engines and drawn to the road. Those childhood interests did not fade. They became the blueprint for his adult life. He carried the straightforward honesty of his hometown with him everywhere.
He finished high school at Abingdon High School. Then he went to Virginia Highlands Community College. He was not someone who thought he knew everything. He kept learning. That mindset helped him stay ahead of changes in the automotive industry. He wanted his work to be not just good but innovative.
That drive led him to open Circle C Customs. The shop became a local institution. Chris did not just fix cars. He transformed them. Customers came to him with ideas. He listened. Then he delivered something better than they had imagined. His reputation rested on two things: craftsmanship and straight talk. People trusted him because he never cut corners.
The family will welcome visitors on April 24, 2026, from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. The location is the Main Street Chapel of Farris Funeral Service in Marion. That evening will be for sharing stories and offering comfort. A memorial service will be scheduled later, giving the family time to plan something that truly reflects who Chris was.
He leaves behind a wide circle of family and friends. His real legacy, though, is in two places: the custom vehicles that still turn heads on the road, and the relationships he built one conversation at a time. The Marion community is grieving, but there is also gratitude. Gratitude for a man who turned a love of cars into a life of purpose. For those who knew him, the sound of a finely tuned engine will never feel quite the same.