Mildred Cocking

Mildred Cocking, longtime Colfax homemaker, passed away Sunday, September 9, 2018, at The Courtyard in Colfax, where she had resided for the last five years. She was 99.

A funeral service to celebrate her life will be held on Thursday, September 13th, at 11:00 a.m., at the First Baptist Church with Pastor Dean Ellis officiating. Burial will follow in the Colfax Cemetery. A viewing for Mildred will be held on Wednesday from Noon to 5:00 p.m., at Bruning Funeral Home.

She was born April 11, 1919 in Colfax to Edward and Selma Manteuffel Krueger. She grew up in Colfax and graduated from Colfax High School in 1937. Mildred learned to play the piano at an early age and often played at her church.

She moved to Seattle where she worked as an instructor for Pacific Telephone. While there, she met Willard Carl Stansbury and they married and moved to Spokane. Together they had two children of whom Mildred was so proud. In Spokane, Mildred worked as a switchboard operator for St. Luke's Hospital for many years and later at Fairchild Air Force Base. She spent a total of thirty years as a phone operator. She loved playing the piano at the Dishman Baptist Church for twenty years. She also did a lot of needlework. Mildred and Willard were later divorced and she moved back to Colfax, Washington.

She married R. Paul Cocking on March 14, 1975. She kept busy as a homemaker and in the community with memberships in the Aloha Club, the Parvin Auxiliary and Grange, Friendship Circle and helped orchestrate and serve countless funeral dinners at the First Baptist Church where they were members. She and Paul also traveled to Arizona during the winter for over 25 years, attended church in Arizona while there, went hiking, visited with friends and enjoyed square dancing together. They enjoyed many years of Cougar football as season ticket holders.

Mildred is survived by her husband of 43 years, R. Paul Cocking of Colfax; her two children, Edward (Genie) Stansbury of Olympia, Wash. and Joan (Kurt) Owens of Shingle Springs, Calif .; her brother, Darrell Krueger of Tacoma; by a combination of eight grandchildren, and 14 great-grandchildren; and by Paul's children, Penni Cocking, Seattle, David (Marcia) Cocking, Colfax, and Peggy (Dan) Nafziger of Troutdale, Oregon. She was preceded in death by a brother, Paul Krueger; and three sisters, Lois Abegglen, Evelyn Ensley and Marge Hill.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial gifts in her memory be made to the First Baptist Church, 200 N. Mill St., Colfax, WA. 99111. On-line guest book is at http://www.bruningfuneralhome.com

Bruning Funeral Home of Colfax is caring for the family.