ELIZABETH ANN MOCEK
Elizabeth was born on April 9, 1935, in Marlin, Texas, and grew up on a farm just outside of Marlin. Elizabeth was the second of five children born to Adolph Gus Kroll and Elsie (Wolske) Kroll, who included her older sister, with three younger brothers joining the family later. Elizabeth’s early years were spent on the family farm, where she performed chores. She would tell stories of having to help her younger siblings dress in the mornings, as well as milking cows before school and then walking three miles to school. She often said she only got one spanking as a child, and it was enough to ensure she never wanted another. After graduating from Marlin High School in 1952, Elizabeth enrolled in Durham’s Business College in Austin, Tx in the studies of bookkeeping and accounting.
After graduating, she applied her studies working for such companies as Weston Biscuit and Cameron Wholesale in Waco, TX, and was actually traveling to Waco with her father for a job interview on May 11, 1953, the very day of the Waco tornado, which devastated downtown Waco and killed 114 people. However, they chose to return home that day when the weather worsened near Waco. Elizabeth eventually married the love of her life, John Mocek Jr, on November 3rd, 1956, in Marlin, TX. The couple moved to Waco, starting a family that eventually grew to four children. Following the birth of her first child, she began working with her husband in the family business. Together, they founded Mocek’s TV & Appliance, which later expanded into Curtis Mathes Home Entertainment Center and four additional television and appliance rental stores. In her later years, she enjoyed volunteering at the Angel Tree on the Richland Mall during the Christmas season and the March of Dimes charity, as well as performing with the Red Hats group, singing at different venues, which included nursing facilities. She also took pleasure in cooking, engaging in card games, and working in her garden.
Elizabeth also cherished time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, who always made her smile. Elizabeth was a very devoted and dedicated wife and mother working beside her husband in the family business for over 60 years, performing bookkeeping and payroll tasks for all five stores while tending to four children, a household, and making sure there was breakfast on the table every morning and dinner on the table every evening, as well as providing lunch for her husband and family every day at the family business with no complaints or regrets ever spoken, a trend which continued into her late 80’s until her health would no longer allow her to do so. Elizabeth was a mother and wife who prioritized the needs of others above her own, and her passing leaves a void that will never be filled. The Family would also like to express a special thanks to her personal and dedicated caregiver Anica, as well as Dr. Gerard Marroquin.
Elizabeth was preceded in death by her husband, John Mocek Jr.; her parents, Adolph Gus Kroll and Elsie (Wolske) Kroll; her sister, Helen Jean (Kroll) Neuman and her brother, Adolph Gus Kroll Jr.
She is survived by her children, Randy Mocek and wife Robin, Kathy Kelm and husband Donald, Brad Mocek and wife Beth, Brian Mocek and wife Stacey; grandchildren, Colin Mocek and wife Lindsey, Jared Mocek, Braden Kelm, Tiffany Wilkes and husband Abraham, Jeremy Mocelc, Allison Stallard and husband Remington, and Jordan Kooy and husband Case; great-grandchildren, Ellery Mocek, Nora Mocek, Reagan Wilkes, Cooper Wilkes, and Phoenix Stallard; brothers, Howard Kroll, and Kenneth Kroll.