Audrey Bockelman

1937 - 2025

Audrey Maureen Bockelman, 88, of Lee's Summit, formerly Harrisonville, Missouri, passed away on September 30, 2025, following complications from a car accident on September 9, 2025. The Celebration of Life will be 2 p.m. October 4, 2025, at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Lee's Summit, Missouri, with visitation starting at 1:30. In keeping with her generous and giving personality, Audrey made the decision to donate her body to science 11 years ago. She is currently at University of Kansas School of Medicine, continuing her legacy by helping future health care professionals learn. In accordance with her wishes, she will be laid to rest at Orient Cemetery in Harrisonville, Missouri, one year from now, when she is returned to her family.

Audrey was born on August 7, 1937, in Oakland, Nebraska, to Thorvald and Signa Jensen. Her father's bridge construction work required frequent relocations, and by the time she began first grade, she had already moved 32 times. Seeking stability, the family eventually settled in Kansas City, where two more daughters, Rosemary and Jolene, joined the family.

She graduated from Ruskin High School in 1955 and went on to attend the University of Kansas for three semesters. She later worked as a keypunch operator for what would become IBM.

On August 30, 1958, Audrey married Don Bockelman. Together, they built and sold five homes with the shared goal of having house paid for. In 1973, they purchased 40 acres in Harrisonville, where Don built a barn, shop, storage shed, and even an outhouse. Their children filled the ark with animals and crops, and by the early 1980s, the couple had fulfilled their dream of owning the property outright.

In the late 1970s, Audrey returned to school to complete her degree in nursing. She worked at St. Joseph Hospital in Kansas City for 15 years until she retired in 1995.

In 1987, Audrey and Don purchased a Victorian home in Harrisonville, which they spent five years restoring. They enjoyed 28 years there before moving to John Knox Village in 2016.

Audrey is survived by her husband of 67 years, Donald Lee Bockelman; her sons, Michael Gregory Bockelman and Bradley Steven Bockelman (Sandi); her daughter, Jenifer Beth Dick (Ray); grandchildren, Michael Alan Bockelman, Brian Lee Bockelman (Lauren), Abraham Raymond Dick, Nathaniel Ethan Dick, and Eleanor Maureen Hanna (Jordan); and great-grandsons, Theodore Jack Hanna and Baker Lee Bockelman. She also leaves behind her sister, Jolene Belt, along with other family and loved ones.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Thorvald and Signa Jensen; her sister, Rosemary Mentesana; and her daughter-in-law, Sharon Bockelman.