Obituary of Elinore A. Klawitter Cocca

Elinore A. Cocca, 96, passed away on July 24, 2021 at the home of her daughter, Patricia McCarty, in Fort Worth, Texas.Elinore was born in Buffalo, New York on April 28, 1925 to Alexander and Cecilia Klawitter. Her father’s career in the aviation industry required the family, which included her loving sister, Dorothy, to move to Bristol, Pennsylvania when she was 9, San Diego, California at 14, and a journey to Fort Worth that began on Pearl Harbor Day, 1941, when she was 16. She graduated from Our Lady of Victory High School in 1943 with the highest honors.Upon graduation, she began working as the executive secretary for the Vice President of Waples-Platter, a local wholesale grocery company. In November of that year, she met her husband-to-be, Salvatore (Sam) Cocca, a Navy man, at a USO dance at the Naval Air Base on Eagle Mountain Lake. They were engaged shortly after and married on January 2, 1946, at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Fort Worth after Sam returned from an 18-month deployment in Saipan. They were married until Sam’s death on his birthday, October 7, 2005, just shy of 60 years. They never stopped dancing.As a young woman, Elinore was known for her beautiful soprano voice, and singing became her passion. She began singing in the St. Patrick’s choir when she was 18 under the direction of William J. Marsh, who wrote the Texas state song, “Texas, Our Texas,” and, later, in the choirs of St. Paul’s Catholic Church and Holy Family Catholic church, which was led by the director of the Texas Boys Choir, George Bragg. After years of devoting her life to her family, which included two children, and involving herself in many volunteer activities at their schools and at church (i.e., Girl Scout leader, Altar Society president), she began a successful career selling Avon, which lasted for 42 years until she was 90! She became a top seller and achieved the President’s Club ranking, which resulted in the win of many cruises, much to Sam’s delight.In addition to her daughter Patricia, Elinore is survived by her grandson, Jefferson McCarty, his wife, Megan, and their two children, Nicholas and Clara; her granddaughter Kat McCarty; and many nieces and nephews. The family wishes to extend special gratitude to her nephew, Tim McGee and his wife Rekha, nephew, Frank Cocca, and niece, Stephanie Hooper, for the extensive attention and support they afforded Elinore during the last years of her life. Special thanks must also be given to the staff of the Westmore Assisted Living Community for their tireless efforts in looking after her and the other residents during the pandemic when families could not get to them, often at the expense of their own health.Finally, the sincerest of gratitude goes to Elinore’s primary care physician Dr. Robert Kelly, the staff and special caregivers of St. Gabriel’s Hospice, and Alexandra Castro of Caring People for the exceptional care they gave Elinore during her declining health, as well as to Father Hoa Nguyen, Maria Frantz, Rosemary Gay and Ken Werschay of Holy Family Catholic Church, who prepared her for her departure from this life during these last few months. All of you, and all of her friends and family who are not specifically named here, are truly appreciated and will always be remembered for the love and kindness you showed her.