Gloria Mary Cockerham

Gloria was born on 26 November 1931 as the only child of Leandro & Mary Gallope of Lynbrook, Long Island, New York. After spending her early years growing up in New York she then went to the Philippines for an education, arriving in time for the WWII invasion by the Axis Powers. When General McArthur returned to liberate the Philippines from occupying forces at the end of the WWII, Gloria was one of thousands of American citizens who were repatriated to the United States, rejoining her family and friends in New York City.

In Manhattan she met Christopher Cockerham who was honorably discharged with a medal for participating in the occupation of Germany with the Heavy Mortar Company in the 16th Infantry of the 1st U.S. Army Division. In 1955 she married Chris and the couple took up residence together in Brooklyn, New York. After the birth of their son eleven months later, the family bought their first home in Queens, New York, close to the border with Long Island. As their son reached school age Gloria literally became a back-stage mom when Clifford Cockerham got roles in different off-Broadway productions of the “King and I.” However, when the cast went on a national tour, Cliff returned to the quiet life of first grader and his mom took up full-time employment with the Long Island Daily Press.

The family bought a 128-acre farm in the snow belt of Central Upstate New York in the late 1960’s. Gloria joined the staff of the Oswego County Weeklies newspaper chain. But when her husband retired from the Nestlé Company, they moved to Florida where she joined the staff of the University of Florida at Gainesville. The new job and the vibrant local community (aided by a lack of snow) made these among the happiest and most fun years of her entire life. Her challenging job notwithstanding, Gloria especially dedicated herself to planning and decorating for the holiday parties of the UF Library System. Rumor has it their holiday parties exceeded the number of actual holidays on the international calendar and upon her mandatory retirement, the university immediately established restrictive policies limiting the size, scope, and number of staff parties. Some call this the “Gloria Cockerham Rule.”

In her post-retirement years, she greatly increased her daily gardening activity around their home in Ocala, FL; enthusiastically decorating to celebrate each holiday season and maintaining a regular rotation of flowering plants. She always looked forward to festivals, parties, group shopping excursions, bible study meetings, community fundraising events, and seasonal travel with church groups. The community at Blessed Trinity and the extended families of that congregation were truly her lifeblood. They were amazingly present to Gloria in significant ways throughout her illness.

Gloria is survived by her husband; her son and daughter-in-law, Dr.Cliff Cockerham & Dr. Sherry Cummings of Nashville, TN; her granddaughter Kaitlin Cummings Cockerham of Brooklyn, New York; two younger step sisters, Brenda Stoddard and Barbara Hernon of New Jersey; a younger step brother, Richard Galope of Hawaii; in addition to an extended family of numerous cousins around the world, prominently featuring Rudy & Angie Marquinez of Gainesville and their children Mr.& Mrs. Rodnie Marquinez of St. John’s and Mr. & Mrs. Robert Marquinez of Tampa. Gloria was pre-deceased by her younger step sister Elizabeth, who labored as a missionary in Brazil for many years before taking up nursing in rural Virginia.

According to the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops: “The Vigil Service can take the form of …prayers of the Office for the Dead from the Liturgy of the Hours.” The Bishops went on to advise: “It is most appropriate, when family and friends are gathered together for visitation, to offer time for recalling the life of the deceased. For this reason, eulogies are usually encouraged to be done ….at the Vigil Service.” So on the day of her passing, a couple of dozen family and friends gathered around her bed for the liturgy of the hours; retiring to food, consolation, and laughter while keeping vigil with her body. On the following day, a Novena began that filled their home each evening for nine nights of prayer and communal celebration. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated by Pastor Pat Sheedy on 2 September 2018 at Blessed Trinity Roman Catholic Church, 5 SE 17th Street, Ocala, FL followed by a reception in the Parish Community Center.

A final note from the family of Gloria Cockerham: In lieu of flowers, we ask that friends and relatives please make donations to the “Gloria Cockerham Memorial Fund to Combat Environmental Toxins” that was established at Physicians for Social Responsibility (PSR). PSR, which shared the 1985 Nobel Peace Prize, is a non-profit organization founded on the principle: “Preventing what we cannot cure.” After her retirement from the University of Florida, my mom greatly increased her daily gardening hours around the family home in Ocala, FL; enthusiastically decorating to celebrate each holiday season and maintaining a regular rotation of flowering plants. The Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma that was her underlying cause of death is specifically associated with an herbicide that she used because it was widely advertised as being free of any health hazards, which is now known to be incorrect. If you would like to help prevent what we cannot cure, please make a donation through the national website at https://secure.psr.org/page/22824/donate/1

In the box for “additional comments,” please write “donation to Gloria Cockerham Memorial Fund.” All donations are 100% tax-deductible. They may be immediate or spread out over the year through a monthly credit card charge. If you prefer to donate by check, please make the check payable to “PSR.” On the check’s “For” line write “Gloria Cockerham Memorial Fund.” If you wish to make a planned gift or become a Founding Sponsor of the memorial fund please send a text to Cliff Cockerham at 615-336-3905.