Arletha June Hockett

May 15, 1928 - August 9, 2020

Arletha June Hockett, daughter of Percy and Hazel (Dewey) Blair, was born the third of four children on May 15, 1928 in Shelby County, Iowa. While in high school she worked at Pexton Drug Store in Harlan. She graduated from Harlan High School, with the class of 1946. On August 2, 1946, Arletha was united in marriage to James Hockett in Hiawatha, Kansas. Four children were born to this union: Sheryl, Carol, Jamie, and Pamela. Arletha helped with the bookkeeping for Hockett Trucking and also worked as the Post Master in Tennant for many years. Arletha was known to her family and friends as the cookie maker but her pies and red velvet cakes were her specialities often fought over by her son-in-laws and grandkids. She also made pillbox hats for dance recitals. She enjoyed playing cards and bowling. Later on Jim and Arletha liked to travel especially to Kansas City for Royals games and to the casinos in Council Bluffs. She died on August 9, 2020 at Mercy Hospital in Council Bluffs, Iowa, attaining the age of ninety-two years, two months, and twenty-five days. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband James Hockett, siblings Dorothy Sorensen, Robert Blair, and Lois Schmidt and her sister-in-law Jacquetta Tucker. She is survived by her children Sheryl (James) Hansen of Sunrise Beach, Missouri; Carol Kern of Council Bluffs, Iowa; Jamie (Kristi) Hockett of Tennant, Iowa; Pam (David) Hipnar of Vail, Iowa; nine grandchildren; eighteen great grandchildren with two more on the way; nieces and nephews; other family members, and friends.