Cordelia Luck Yokum

Cordelia Luck Yokum, on July 8, 2014 went to rest in the comforting arms of our Lord. She was born on November 1, 1921 in Dallas, Texas, to the late William Russell Luck and Lena Mae Knight Luck. She was the baby of three children and was affectionately referred to as "Baby" by her family, but "Corky" to her friends.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, William F. Yokum, Sr., son, Robert Thomas Yokum, son, William F. Yokum, Jr., daughters-in-law, Deborah Brown Yokum and Madelyn Cox Yokum , mother, Lena Mae Knight Luck, father, William Russell Luck, brothers, W.R. Luck and John Knight Luck. She was a faithful Christian all her life, converting to Catholicism in 1967.

She met the love of her life, Bill, while he was attending Southern Methodist University on an academic scholarship in 1940, and they were subsequently married on June 29, 1941, in Dallas, Texas and were happily married for 54 years. Originally settling in Dallas, moving to Houston in 1951, to continue raising their family which grew to four children in Bellaire, Texas. They retired to Conroe in 1974, to the beautiful pine forests they both loved.

She was loved and admired by all who knew, or met, her. The lives she touched with her gentility, overwhelming kindness and generosity are far too many to list or county. To say she was "the best mother ever", would be trite, indeed. She was the consummate mother, successfully modeling herself, in all her daily tasks, after the Blessed Virgin Mary. Not content to merely raise her children, she joyfully accepted the responsibility of raising, for a time, three of her grandchildren, as well. Their lives were greatly enriched by her and their PaPaw.

Until her arthritis made it impossible for her to walk, she was known for her boundless energy, unselfish works, always making sure everyone had what they needed, she balanced the needs of her husband with COPD with the needs of her children, grandchildren and friends. She cared for her husband and maintained his breathing equipment and took the grandchildren to weekly doctor and dentist appointments in the Woodlands and Houston, while undergoing chemotherapy in Houston. The commute for her chemotherapy alone would have brought others to their knees. But she did it all with style and grace, with the help of God and never complained, even when the side effects left her weak and tired. Because she would not allow her needs to over shadow or crowd out the needs of others. Her family was always first and her cancer was cured.

Her main focus was her husband and family, but she as an accomplished porcelain artist (an artistry she inherited from her Dear Mother), a detailed and creative seamstress, devout Christian, and had a great love of Texas wildflowers, as well. She also delighted in her friendships. The most endearing and enduring was with her lifelong, best friend, Minnie Mae Hall, who survives her.

She is survived by her daughter, Patricia Yokum Wyatt and son-in-law, Wade, and their son, Wade Patrick; son, John Anthony Yokum, Sr. and his children, John A. Yokum, Jr. and wife, Cordellia Frances Yokum; grandchildren, Mary :Michele Tuma, Michael Thomas Yokum, Tiffany Anne Ballinger, Roger Lee Crawford, Curtis Wayne Jones, and Rebecca D. DeCarlo; 9 great-grandchildren; 6 great-great-grandchildren; sister-in-law, Mary Searcy Luck, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.

Heaven called and she obediently answered. Picturing her long-awaited reunion with her husband, sons, Mother, brothers, beloved grandparents, and all relatives by birth and marriage, should allow all of us to find the peace and joy she would wish us all. We will miss her always, but we will find her in every beautiful thing that God has created and in the faces of the generations she has left behind.

Services and mass of Christian burial will be held on Friday, July 18, 2014, at 2:00 o'clock at Calvary Hill Cemetery, North Chapel, Dallas, Texas.

Arrangements under the direction of Zoeller Funeral Home, New Braunfels, TX.