Norma Jean Cockrall

June 7, 1935 - May 18, 2022

Norma Jean Cockrall was born Norma Jean Stinson on June 7, 1935, near Waldron, Arrkansas.  Her parents were Opie and Clara Stinson.  She was the youngest of six children.

Opie Stinson was a farmer and laborer and Clara Stinson was a homemaker.  They were poor, but resourceful in supporting their family.  Norma's brothers were Clyde and Fred Stinson and her sisters were Ruby, Hattie, and Erma Jean.

Ruby was twenty years old when Norma was born and ready to start a family of her own.  Norma went to school in a rural schoolhouse and helped work on the farm doing such chores as baling hay.  She and her mother liked to listen to the Grand Ole Opry radio program on Nashville's WSM Radio.  But sometimes the reception on the battery-operated radio had too much static to hear the show.

Norma became a Brooklyn Dodgers fan and was heartbroken when Bobby Thomson's homerun for the New York Giants kept the Dodgers from the World Series in 1951.  The Dodgers lost several World Series to the New York Yankees, but finally won in 1955.

Norma married Ernest Doyle Goodwin in 1951 and her first son Gerald "Jerry" Goodwin was born in 1952.  Ernest served in the United States Navy during the Korean conflict and Norma wrote him every day.  One of her fondest memories was living on Coronado Island near San Diego when Ernest was in the Navy.  She talked about smelling hot dogs grilling on Memorial Day and not being able to afford a hot dog.  A hot dog became an annual Memorial Day tradition for her.

Norma's second son Gary was born in 1955 in Arkansas.

The marriage to Ernest ended and she married Jack Junior Cockrall.  Their marriage lasted sixty-four years.  Their son Johnny Keith Cockrall was born in 1960.  John was born by lantern light because a thunderstorm had knocked out the electrical power at the Waldron, Arkansas, hospital.

Norma found her true calling when she worked as a private duty nurse for a man named Dr. Riley at the Tuberculosis Sanatorium outside Booneville, Arkansas.  Jack Cockrall worked on a dairy there.

The family moved to Fresno, California, in 1965.  Jack got a job on a dairy owned by Frank Toste located near Caruthers, California, and Norma began working in a convalescent hospital. She began as an aide and then obtained her LVN license.

Toste moved his dairy operations near Kerman, California, in the early 1970s.

Jack had a heart attack that made it impossible to do farm labor any longer.  Norma worked full time while attending nursing school at Fresno City College.  One of her proudest moments was getting her nursing degree in 1986.  She went on to get a job at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Fresno where she made many long-lasting friendships.

Norma was diagnosed with glaucoma and the glaucoma destroyed her sight.  She was blind in the last years of her life.

Norma is survived by her son Jerry, granddaughter Samantha, and great granddaughters Kylee, Ryanna, Alexia, and Aubry and nieces and nephews. All of her siblings preceded her in death.  Her son Gary died in 2005 and John died in 2014.

She leaves behind a lasting legacy of love and caring.

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Jack Junior Cockrall

July 26, 1932 - May 28, 2022

Jack Junior Cockrall was born on July 26, 1932, in Abbott, Arkansas.  A brother born before Jack died and Jack was the eldest of four children.  His parents were William Jackson Cockrall and Ollie Bell Cockrall.  His father was a laborer and his mother was a homemaker.

He had sisters Nell and Edith and a brother, Johnny Cockrall.  Nell died in 1995.  Johnny and Edith are residents of Arkansas.

Jack married Norma Stinson in 1958 and became stepfather to Jerry Goodwin and Gary Goodwin.  Jack and Norma's marriage produced their son Johnny Keith Cockrall in 1960.

Jack worked on the dairy farm for the Tuberculosis Sanitorium outside Booneville, Arkansas.  Norma worked as a private duty nurse at the Sanitorium.

The family moved to California in 1965.  Jack got a job with Frank Toste on a dairy located near Caruthers, California.  Norma began working as a nurse's aide, eventually became a LVN, and finally got her RN license in 1986.

Frank Toste expanded his dairy operations in the early 1970s and bought property near Kerman, California, Jack continued working on the dairy until he suffered a heart attack that forced him to retire.  Norma worked full time and went to nursing school until she obtained her degree.

Jack's son John married Arlene Pano and that marriage produced a daughter named Samantha.  Samantha went on to have four daughters of her own:  Kylee, Alexia, Ryanna, and Aubry.

Alexia and Ryanna were born prematurely and Jack and Norma spent many hours caring for them.

Stepson Gary Goodwin died in 2005 and Jack's son John died in 2014.

Jack's marriage to Norma lasted over sixty-four years and she preceded him in death by just ten days.

Jack loved his wife and grandchildren.  He is survived by his brother Johnny, sister Edith, his granddaughters, his stepson Jerry, and various nieces and nephews.

Jack & Norma's life will be recognized in a funeral ceremony at Belmont Memorial Park in Fresno on June 7, 2022.  The service will begin at 10:00 a.m.