Kjersten Cockrell

Kjersten Thiele Cockrell, 48, of Clifton passed away Wednesday, January 16, 2019. Funeral services will be held at 1:00 P.M. Tuesday, January 22, 2019 at Zion Church, Womack with Rev. Eddie Booth and Pastor Shane Metcalf officiating. Burial will follow at the St. Olaf Rock Church Cemetery near Cranfills Gap. Visitation will be held from 5:00-7:00 P.M. Sunday, January 20, 2019 at Clifton Funeral home.

On September 8, 1970, Kjersten was born in Whitney, Texas, the daughter of J. W. (Jay) Thiele and the late Kay Ulke Thiele. She grew up in Whitney and attended Whitney ISD schools graduating in 1988 as the salutatorian of her class. In the fall of 1988, she began attending Texas A&M University, and for the rest of her life she has “bled maroon”. Kjersten had a double major in English and History and a minor in German, becoming quite fluent in German. Upon graduating from A & M, she began teaching in West, Texas where she taught from 1993 to 2000. In 2000, she became employed by Clifton ISD where at different times she taught English, History, and Speech. She continued at her teaching assignment through January 8, 2019 in spite of her pain and physical weakness, a true testament to her devotion to her love of teaching and her students.

As an infant, Kjersten was christened by Rev. Frank Horak at Zion Church in Womack. She was confirmed by Rev. Horak in 1985 at Zion Church. It was at that same church in 2000 that she would be united in marriage to Clayton Cockrell on March 4. Three children: Luke, Katy, and Blake were born to this union. Kjersten remained a faithful member of Zion Church throughout her entire life often serving in various capacities of leadership in the church.

Kjersten had a passion to travel. Prior to her marriage, she traveled to numerous European countries. After marriage and the birth of her children, many trips were taken within the United States to historical places. These trips were often used, not just for fun, but in an effort to gather information to be used in her classroom to enrich the curriculum with personal comments and impressions.

In June of 2018, Kjersten was diagnosed with advance cancers in several areas of her body. She began treatments almost immediately so that she would be able to start school when it began in August. She loved watching her students and her own children as they participated in everything from sports to one-act plays. She served as the bookkeeper at an untold number of little league baseball games.

To say that she loved her family, students, and colleagues would be an understatement. She was a tremendous cook, an avid movie goer, family genealogist, and animal lover. Her memory of minutia was legendary, and she even loved lutefisk. She was a descendant of early Norwegian and German families, Knudson’s and Thiele’s, who helped settle Bosque County.

Kjersten was predeceased by her grandparents, her mother, Kay; her step-mother, Vicki Vickery Thiele, her mother-in-law, Cindy Cockrell, and an infant nephew, Landan Thiele.

She is survived by her husband, Clay, and her children, Luke, Katy, and Blake. She is also survived by her father J.
W. (Jay) Thiele of Clifton, her father-in-law, Don Cockrell of Laguna Park, her brother John Thiele and Belinda, her brother-in-law, Craig Cockrell, her sister-in-law, Stacey Cockrell, nieces and nephews and other relatives, friends, and most beloved of all, her students and former students.

In lieu of flowers, Kjersten specifically requested that memorials be made to Zion Church, 1411 FM 219, Clifton, TX 76634 or Kjersten Cockrell Scholarship Fund at Citizens State Bank, P. O. Box 33, Clifton, TX 76634 or Citizens State Bank, P. O. Box 577, Whitney, TX 76692.

Pallbearers will be: Carter Harrison, Ted Jones, Jack Kettler, Lance Lehmann, Michael McKinney, and Zach Thiele.

Condolences may be made at www.cliftonfh.com.