Darrel Pocock

Darrel Ray Pocock, 72 of Abilene, went home to heaven on Monday, September 6, 2021.  A memorial service will be held on Monday, September 13, 2021 at 2:00 p.m. at the South Side Baptist Church, 1425 S. 7 ^th Street.  Arrangements under the direction of Piersall Funeral Directors, 733 Butternut Street.

Born in Caney, Kansas to Victor and Lorraine Pocock, Darrel was the younger brother of Vicki by six years.  He grew up in a rural area and attended a small school where grade levels were often combined so that a teacher would have enough students to instruct.  There, he developed his solid work ethic, working on local farms from around age 10.  The community there was close-knit, and he had strong ties to family and friends there.  He and his best friend Tim were known to sneak in and ring the church bells at midnight, which was hilarious fun for them, but the town sheriff didn’t like it too much.  In 1965, he moved to Texas with his parents and attended Richland High School in Fort Worth.  He worked on freight docks part-time to earn money, building strength and his bank account.

Fort Worth is where he met his sweetheart of 52 years, Glenna Morris.  There, he attended UT until the impending conscription for the Vietnam Conflict sent him into service as a reservist for the Marines.  After boot camp in Jackson, Mississippi, he was assigned to maintain and repair Apache helicopters.  He served for 6 years.  (He loved to tell about the time during boot camp that he and his buddies enjoyed a Tina Turner concert, getting their tickets for just twenty-five cents!)  During his time in the reserves, Darrel also began a job at Hobart Corporation.  After 20 years there, he bought his own Hobart franchise in Abilene, moving his family there in 1990. It was after this move, when he was 44 years old, that Darrel came to know Jesus Christ as his Savior. He came to understand that he could not get to heaven without faith; his own strength was not enough. Only God could be his answer.

His business served the restaurant and grocery industry in West Texas for many years.  After that, his love and knowledge of firearms led him to the gun show circuit.  He sold guns and ammunition at shows throughout the central U.S., gaining a well-deserved reputation for his expertise and integrity.  His associates there became his closest friends, and now are regarded as family by his loved ones.

Darrel loved his family and his cats and dogs.  He loved his wife and his girls, Melissa and Brenda, and always took care of them well.  He was a tough-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside Grandaddy who adored Rachel, Andrew, and Jenna.

He loved action movies, old westerns, and Mexican food.  He did NOT like dishonest people, salad or when restaurants served Pepsi instead of Coke!  Something most people did not know is that Darrel could sing.  He had perfect pitch!  He enjoyed movie and song quotes, dropping them into everyday conversation: “I’m your Huckleberry”, “Do you feel lucky, Punk?”, “Yippee-kay-yay…”.

He always offered words of wisdom, and there were many that he would repeat…especially his “Three Rules of Life”:

1. Nothing is fair.
2. What goes around comes around.
3. Never eat yellow snow.

Husband, Daddy, Grandaddy, Friend, Marine, Patriot, Loyal, Faithful, Child of God.

Darrel died with his boots on.  Semper Fi.