"A.B." Avner Barbee Cockroft

Avner Barbee – A.B.- Cockroft, of Mart, passed away at his home Wednesday, August 22, 2012. He was 78 years of age. Visitation will be Thursday, August 23, 2012, from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M., at the Groesbeck Funeral Home. Funeral services will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Friday, August 24, 2012, at the Groesbeck Funeral Home Chapel, with Rev. Tracy Sims officiating. Burial will follow in Big Hill Cemetery. Pallbearers will be Brian Gibson, Spencer Wilson, Chuck Higgins, and Tim Higgins. A.B. was born on December 12, 1933, to Avner Barbee Cockroft,Sr. and Marcella Cockroft at Houston. He grew up in Houston, and graduated from San Marcos Military Academy in 1951. While attending SMA between 1948 and 1951, he played football, basketball, baseball and track. Besides lettering in all four sports, he served as co-captain of the football and basketball teams in 1951. A.B. was also the “A” Association President. During his junior year, he was a cheerleader. As a senior, A.B. was named Who’s Who in Boy’s Athletics. He was also Parliamentarian in the Student Council and earned a Best Actor Award in Cur and Curtain. In the military arena, A. B. was in the Non-Corn Club and later in the Officers’ Club. He served as commander of Company C and attained the rank of 2nd. Lieutenant. After graduating from SMA, A.B. married Company C sponsor, 2nd Lieutenant Mary Ann Gracey (now Mary Ann Casey). The couple were married from 1952-1960 and have three children together. A. B. met Kathleen (Kat) Wimberly at Epworth Methodist Church in Houston, on Easter Sunday in 1960, and they were married on November 28, 1960 at Epworth Church in Houston. A.B.’s early career started off with him working for Rainbow Bakery in Houston. The family later moved to Rosharon where he built a home and raised his children, while he worked for Crescent Electric Company through Local Union #66 at Monsanta in Seabrook. In the 1980’s, A.B. moved to Groesbeck where he was a lineman with SESCO. He was well known as a friendly fellow anytime you met him at Groesbeck, and always had suckers he bought to throw out to every kid he saw. When he retired from SESCO, he and Kat moved to Mart near the Battle Lake Golf Course. He had been an avid golfer from a young man at Braeburn Country Club in Houston until his final home course at Battle Lake Golf Course. For several years, A.B. was the caregiver for his wife during her illness, and always the loving son visiting his mother until she passed away at the age of 101. A.B. was preceded in death by his parents, his wife, Kathleen, and his mother, Marcella. He is survived by six children: a son and daughter-in-law, Euleon Jock and Cindy Cockroft of Grapevine; son, Jay Lynn Cockroft of Helotes; daughter and son-in-law, Mary Kay and Ted Delgado of Plano; daughter, Kim Davenport of Alvin; son and daughter-in-law, Jett and Jamie Cockroft of Mart; and daughter, Barbee A. Jeanson of Mart; beloved grandchildren and great grandchildren; and extended family.