Mary Faye (Lambert) Cocke

Mary Faye Lambert Cocke, age 92, of Knoxville, Tennessee, passed away on Saturday, July 4, 2026. Mary was born on December 9, 1933, in Lindsay Township, Garvin County, Oklahoma, the firstborn child of Flake Ebenezer Lambert and Mildred Faye McMillan.

Her early education began at Rocky Point School in Garvin County, Oklahoma. The family moved to Seminole, Texas, in 1945, and she was a member of the Seminole High School Class of 1951. She married Daniel Walter Cocke in Lovington, New Mexico, on November 24, 1951. Together, they were blessed with three sons: Daniel Wayne Cocke, James Walter Cocke, and David Lydell Cocke.

Mary was the oldest of nine children and became a source of encouragement, care, and protection for her brothers and sisters after the death of her mother (Mildred) when Mary was 17. She was a fastidious housekeeper, skilled seamstress, adventurous cook and baker, enthusiastic gardener, and lover of birds. After moving to Knoxville, she became proficient with computers and photo scanning and appointed herself the family archivist. She faithfully preserved family photographs and dates, and she was known for sending cards, texts, and Facebook messages to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and other important life events.

Mary was known not only for her beauty, but also for her kind, thoughtful, honest, and selfless spirit. Her smile, encouraging words, grace, and kindness will be deeply missed. The family gives thanks for the blessed assurance that they will see her again in Heaven.

Mary was preceded in death by her parents, Flake and Mildred Lambert; her beloved stepmother, Nettie Carter Lambert; her siblings, Ernest Lambert, Coleen Wagner, Aileen Hester, Randell Lambert, Glen Lambert, and Betty Fisher; and her grandsons, Michael Aaron Cooke and Randell Wayne Cooke.

She is survived by her sisters, Anita Lambert Goolsby and Mary Lambert Meeks; her children, Dan Cocke and his wife, MaryCatherine Landry; James Cooke and his wife, Rhonda Spelce Cooke; and David Cocke and his life partner, Janet Hankins Tidwell.

As well as her grandchildren, Jonathan Daniel South and his wife, Alison DuBose South; Erin Elizabeth Cocke; Adam Michael Cocke and his wife, Mary Bishop Cocke; Christon James Cooke and his wife, Candiss Wulff Cooke; Joel Preston Cooke and his wife, Joslynn Payne Cooke; Kendon Andrew Cooke and his fiancée, Bailey McCoy; Melissa Cocke and her wife, Makayla Allen Cocke; Robin Butler and her husband, Paul Zimin; Adam Butler and his wife, Bella Cortez Butler; Dakota Balch; Sarah Beasley; Daniel Landry.

A Celebration of Life for Mary will be held on Saturday, July 25, at Bearden UMC, 4407 Sutherland Ave., Knoxville, TN 37919. Receiving of friends will begin at 2:00 p.m., followed by the worship service at 3:00 p.m.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to The Audubon Society: https://act.audubon.org/a/memorial-gift