Thomas Cocke

COCKE, Captain Thomas Preston, 92, a part-time resident of Cartersville, Va. since 1970, passed in his sleep at home in Mason, Mich. early on the morning of November 23, 2009. Known to all as "Tommy," he lived a long life of many blessings and was loved for his kindness, calm dignity, and good nature. Tommy was the owner and dedicated steward of a historic home in Cartersville called Oakland. It has been in the Cocke family for over 250 years. Tommy was born July 19, 1917 in Chatham, Va. He graduated from the U.S. Naval Academy in 1941, served in WWII, and retired from the Navy in 1963. Settling north of Baltimore, Md., he continued his civil engineering career at Johns Hopkins Hospital and as an independent consultant. His wife of 53 years, Edna Russell, preceded him in death in 1997. He remarried and had a rich, 11-year union with Belva Louise Otis Cotton of Mason, Mich. They enjoyed trips together to Russia and Egypt. They lived at her home in Mason, Mich. and his ancestral home of Oakland in Cartersville, Va. Tommy is survived by Belva; his children, Thomas, Charlotte, William and Marjorie; seven grandchildren; Belva's descendants, whom he loved as his own; and brother, Randolph Preston. A private memorial service was held November 25, 2009 at his home in Mason. Memorial contributions may be made to the Greater Lansing Food Bank, c/o NBD Commerce Bank, P.O. Box 16224, Lansing, Mich. 48901. A memorial service for his extended family will be held at Oakland in the summer. The family was served by the Gorsline Runciman Funeral Homes, 621 S. Jefferson, Mason. Online condolences may be made to the family at gorslineruncimanfuneralhomes.com


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.