Mary Ethel (Stockwell) Brock

Mary Ethel Brock, daughter of the late Ruben and Mary Beatrice (Nash) Stockwell, was born on February 14, 1930, northeast of Stillwater, Oklahoma and southwest of Glencoe on a place known as the “Hall place.” She passed away on Sunday, July 8, 2012 at her residence south of Norwood, Missouri, following a short illness, at 82 years of age.
Mary found that growing up as an only child in the country was a lonely life. The animals and pets helped her pass the time. Her Uncle Cleo and Aunt Jenny Stockwell would bring their four children for a visit from time to time so she would have others to play with.
In 1941, Mary moved with her family east of Stillwater to a school lease where her father had built a five room house. She had seven neighbor children to play with. In her early years, she attended the Council Valley School and moved to Ontario, California her freshman year and attended school at Chino. She moved back to the farm in Stillwater at mid-term to attend school with her friends. Her junior year, she met Clifford Graham Brock at Diamond Valley Church. They started dating during her senior year. At this time, she also helped her parents take care of a grocery store, gas station and garage. She graduated from Stillwater High School in 1948. A short time later, she was united in marriage to Clifford Brock on June 19, 1948 in Perry, Oklahoma. They moved to the family farm on the school lease when her parents moved back to California. While they farmed their land, Cliff also worked for the cement plant in Stillwater.
They were blessed with four children; a baby girl, Sherry Ann on March 18, 1949, a son, George Thairn on November 2, 1950, another son, Paul Eugene on January 8, 1952 and a baby girl, Sue Marie on September 23, 1954.
When the drought hit in 1955, Cliff and Mary sold everything and moved the family to California by train to find work. There they raised their family.
They moved south of Norwood, Missouri in July of 1969 to enjoy farm life again. They called this farm home for over forty years. Mr. Brock passed away in 2009.
Mary enjoyed crocheting, cooking, reading, and baking brownies and pies for her family and friends. She liked going to the Mtn. Grove Senior Center with her daughter, Sherry, to listen to the music, visit, eat lunch and play bingo.
She loved her family very much and enjoyed taking care of them.
Mary was a kind and caring daughter, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, great-great-grandmother, cousin and friend. She will be truly missed by those who knew and loved her.
Besides her parents and her husband, she was preceded in death by a son: George Thairn Brock; and by a son-in-law: Bobby Eugene Stidham; and by a granddaughter: Angela Watson.
Mary is survived by her son: Paul Brock of Republic, Missouri; two daughters; Sherry Stidham, and Sue Forrest and her husband, Lee, all of Norwood, Missouri; ten grandchildren; twenty-five great-grandchildren; one great-great-grandson; and other relatives, friends, and neighbors.