Mary Thomasson Cockerham

Mrs. Mary Ruth Thomasson Cockerham passed away on Thursday, January 31, 2019, at Priddy Manor in King, NC. She was 92.

Mrs. Cockerham was born on December 3, 1926, in Forsyth County to the late Roger William and Lillian Heath Thomasson. Mrs. Cockerham lived with Sallie Thomasson and her grandparents Jodie and Caroline Thomasson in Hamptonville, NC, from age 3 months until she started school, when she joined her sisters to live with her father and stepmother Katie “Tommy” Thomasson.

Mrs. Cockerham was preceded in death by her husband, Fred Joseph Cockerham, and her sisters Kathleen Norrris Thomasson, June Thomasson Disher, Rebecca Thomasson Daniels, and Margaret Thomasson Meckl.

Mrs. Cockerham graduated from RJ Reynolds High School, attended Pfeiffer College, and received her RN from the Martin Memorial Hospital School of Nursing in Mt. Airy, NC. Before her retirement, Mrs. Cockerham worked as a nurse at various medical providers, spending much of her career at Hugh Chatham Memorial Hospital in Elkin, NC as a labor and delivery nurse.

In Elkin, Mrs. Cockerham was a member of the American Legion Auxiliary, the Home Extension Club, and helped to organize a book club when she was a resident at Parkwood Place. Mrs. Cockerham was a member and past president at Elkin Garden Club and member and past secretary of the Elkin Women’s Club. At the First United Methodist Church of Elkin, where she was a member until her death, Mrs. Cockerham sang in the choir, served on the administration board, taught Sunday School, served as a greeter, and volunteered in the school for the hearing impaired when it was located in the church.

Mrs. Cockerham is survived by her daughter Ann Anderson and son-in-law Thomas Anderson, as well as granddaughters Jane Anderson of Boston, MA, and Cathy Burton and grandson-in-law Jeff Burton of Hong Kong. She is also survived by many wonderful nieces and nephews and their families.

A memorial service will be conducted on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at 11:00 a.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Elkin with Rev. Mike Shuford and Rev. Randy Perdue officiating. The Rev. Thomas Williams will lead the prayer. The family will receive friends following the service in the sanctuary.

In lieu of flowers, memorial may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, PO Box 84918, Boston, MA 02284; the Sunday School Revitalization Fund at the First United Methodist Church of Pilot Mountain, PO Box 696, Pilot Mountain, NC 27041; or Mountain Valley Hospice, 401 Technology Lane, Suite 200, Mt. Airy, NC 27030.

The family would like to thank the staff of Priddy Manor, Homestead Hills, and Mountain Valley Hospice for their kind and loving care.