William Raymond Cockrell

The Life of William Raymond Cockrell William Raymond Cockrell, age 78, passed away peacefully on January 5, 2017. Diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, the fall of 2011, he fought the good fight of faith without complaining. William Cockrell was born in Winnipeg-Manitoba, Canada on June 8, 1938 to the late William Oberan and Mary Genevieve Cockrell. He married Lois in Winnipeg and had two handsome sons, Reese (passed May 1990) and Reed Cockrell, one daughter, big Princess, ReShonda Ja-Neen Shanklin-Cockrell by his wife Shirley (Shanklin) Cockrell. William had one sister; the late Katherine Todd (Paul) of Winnipeg- Manitoba, Canada, who also preceded him in death. He retired from ActMedia and began a part-time job at Wal-Mart as a greeter for 5 years before his illness of Advanced Parkinson caused him to retire from his part time job. He loved being a greeter at Wal-Mart and looked forward to this job each day. He loved our four grandchildren, Akeem Johnson, Raijon and Keondra Kelly and Brandon Speed since each grandchild was unique and special to him in their own way. He also had a close friend, Ed Brad; he met while working at Cub Foods. William took Ed under his wings as our adopted son. Ed would spend time with William by coming over for supper, watching football with him and old Westerns. Ed moved back to Boston, MA and would visit with William at the Regency Assisted Living Facility when he was back in St. Paul. William has four special friends that he asked to look out for his wife Shirley, during his illness with Parkinson. They were Elder George Wilson, Elder Rick Turner, Greg Jackson and Tyrone Appleton. He had childhood friends that he often talked about from Canada, Cecil and Richard. They often called to tell the “Duke” hi and to see how the family was doing. Although William wasn’t able to talk well, he looked forward to hearing from them and would make an effort to talk to them. Williams became a member of River of Life Christian Church when were located at 999 Selby, under the leadership of Apostles Arnold and Bettye Williams. They were able to see his heart was filled with love by the way he had compassion and cared for others. In 2000, he realized that he was “sick and tired” of the life he was living. It was then that he really began to “press” into the things of God. He was faithful to ROL and the Twelve Step Ministry until the Parkinson weakened his body and he was no longer able to attend. However, he did attended church at the nursing home on a weekly basis. He loved seeing his wife dance, sing and tell funny stories on her daily visits to the nursing home. He loved eating chili, corn-beef hash and scrambled eggs along with her other Southern meals. He also loved to eat bowls and bowls of his wife's famous homemade applesauce on a daily basis. The applesauce was such a hit that the staff and residents asked for “Ms. William” aka. Shirley, applesauce every day. Some of William’s favorite pastimes included playing bingo three times a week at the nursing home, along with his wife, Shirley. He also loved cross-word puzzles, word search, Dominoes and Cribbage. Some of his favorite TV shows and music were Westerns, Animal Planet, the Food Channel, Crime-Stoppers, Gospel, Jazz, and the “oldies but goodies” which he enjoyed listening to while eating breakfast and lunch. William leaves to celebrate his new life; his wife, Shirley; son, Reed Cockrell (Heidi) and daughter ReShonda Ja-Neen Shanklin-Cockrell. Grandchildren: Akeem Johnson, Raijon and Keondra Kelly and Brandon Speed, all from St. Paul, MN. Nieces: Kathy, Mary Rose and Marina; Nephews: Butch, Raymond, Andy and Anthony, all from Canada; and a host of other relatives and friends. Memorial Service Saturday, January 28th, 2017 at 11:0 a.m. at River of Life Christian Church, 739 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, Minnesota 55105. Private inurnment.