Patricia Jane (Thomas) Cockrell, a very loving mother and grandmother who will be greatly missed, died on December 16, 2019 due to complications from Cancer at Colonial Manor in Danville. She was born in Danville, Il on April 10, 1935 to John H. & Vera A. (Guth) Thomas. The family moved to Clinton, Indiana where Pat graduated from Fairview Park Grade School. In 1950 the family moved back to Danville where she attended Schlarman High School. She then worked for Illinois Bell Telephone Co and lived at the YWCA for 3 years.
On February 4, 1956, she married Glenn Cockrell Jr. at St. Patrick’s Church. He died August 19, 2008. Survivors are her five children: Gary P. Cockrell (Katie Hoggatt), Gregory L. Cockrell, Carol M. (Eddie) Edington, William M. Cockrell, and John J. (Erin) Cockrell; 8 grandchildren: Hanna & Tanner Cockrell, Calie Jo (Joey) Wilson, Paxton and Brianne Cockrell, Tegan (Patrick) Hollen. Heather (Chase) Atwood, and Josh (Brooke) Edington; 4 great-granddaughters, 2 great-grandsons, and 1 great granddaughter on the way. Also surviving is her brother Donald (Linda) Thomas, sister-in-law Lela (Paul) Allen, and many cousins, nieces, and nephews.
Pat attended St. Paul’s Church and then St. Patrick’s, now Holy Family Church. She was a volunteer at the school library and in the lunch room. She was the “Bingo Lady” at the church Ice Cream Social for many years, and was on the Social Committee. She was a Den mother at St. Pat’s while her boys were in Cub Scouts. She was a volunteer at St. Elizabeth Hospital and Provena United Samaritans Hospital, also at Colonial Manor Nursing Home doing crafts with her friends and patients.
Pat was interested in many things and collected angels, clowns, books, and craft supplies. She was a member of the Antiquarians and the Korean War Veteran Association and once belonged to a clown group, and attended many bazaars and rummage sales.
Visitation will be from 3:00 – 7:00 pm on Friday, December 20, 2019 at Kruger-Coan-Pape Funeral Home, 10 E. Williams Street in Danville, with a Rosary at 2:30pm. Funeral Mass will be at 12:30 pm Saturday, December 21, 2019 at Holy Family Church, 444 East Main Street in Danville, with burial to follow at Resurrection Cemetery.
Messages and memories may be left on our website at www.KrugerCoanPape.com, or on the Kruger-Coan-Pape Funeral Home Facebook page. Pat requests that for memorials, to take a friend out to dinner or donate to a local charity.
To send flowers
to the family or plant a tree
in memory of Patricia Jane (Thomas) Cockrell, please visit our floral store.