Gail Thomas Hocker passed away on Feb. 28, 2024.
Gail was born July 20, 1941 in Boonville, Mo. When she was a teenager, her family moved to Shawnee, where she met and fell in love with Phillip Hocker at Shawnee High. The two were married in 1962. They remained devoted and inseparable for the next 62 years as they built their careers, settled in Arkansas where they reared two daughters, then retired to Oklahoma to be near their parents.
Gail studied education at Okla. Baptist University. She spent most of her career as a librarian and correspondence school teacher in Alaska, and particularly enjoyed visits (complete with dogsled rides) to her far-flung students. In retirement, she volunteered for church communities, the Salvation Army, and Mabee-Gerrer Museum, and served as a tutor and mentor.
She leaves behind her husband, Phillip Hocker, daughters, Katherine Hocker and Carol Vanderville, grandchildren, Shaye and Aiden Vanderville, their extended families, and many friends—old and new, near and far.
Services were held Mar. 10 at 2:30 pm, at University Baptist Church.
