Lovilla Cochran

    Lovilla Cochran, 78, of Lamesa, Texas, passed from this life to the next on Friday, May 17, 2019. 
    She was born on January 20, 1941 to Columbus “Clum” and Evelyn (Newman) Finley in Hereford, Texas. She had two older brothers, Kenneth and Marvin, and one older sister, Glenna, whom she loved dearly. 
    Lovilla did most of her growing up in the Hereford area and loved living her whole life in a place where you could see the sky from horizon to horizon.  
    After graduating from Hereford High School, Lovilla met and married her husband of 38 years, Delton Ray Cochran. They were married on August 15, 1960, and spent much of their 38 years together raising six kids, about 70 dogs, and various other animals that their kids still wonder why they said “yes” to allowing them to have. Lovilla worked for several insurance agencies in Hereford,Hale Center and Pecos, was a secretary at Pecos High School, and served as an administrative assistant in the alumni and advancement departments at both Howard Payne University and Texas Tech University, the latter of which she retired from in 2007.  
    If ever there was a person who had the Biblical gift of hospitality, it was Lovilla. She made her home, and her life, a welcoming place to any and all who needed a friend. She loved to cook and feed as many people as she could, and the invitation was always to come early, stay as long as you like, and eat as much as you need. (And, unlike Delton, she didn’t care if you left the light on or not when you left a room.) Her kids often joked that the more people she could fit into her tiny house, the happier she became. 
    Lovilla loved wearing red and purple, was an active member of the Lubbock Red Hat Society, and made life-long friends wherever she lived and worked. Even in the latter days of her life, as Parkinson’s was stealing away her body, her spirit was touching the lives of those who cared for her. She will be missed.
    Lovilla was preceded in death by her parents, Clum and Evelyn Finley; husband, Delton Cochran; brothers, Kenneth Finley and Marvin and his wife, Shirin, Finley; and numerous other relatives. 
    She is survived by her sister, Glenna Sears of Stroud, Oklahoma; children, Robin Cochran and wife, Ann, of Lubbock, Kerri Brock and husband, Bo, of Lamesa, Cord Cochran and wife, April, of Gladstone, Missouri, Kyle Cochran and wife, Mindy, of Conway, Arkansas, Annette Thorp and husband, Kenny, of Odessa and Tim Cochran and wife, Audra, of Ropes. She is also survived by her 19 grandchildren, Beth, Amy, John Robin, Emili, Abbi, Kimmi, Monique, Delton, Emma, Kaleigh, Marc, Drew, Eryn, Avery, Austin, Dakota, Danielle, Makayla and Kolby; as well as 15 great-grandchildren; and many other nieces, nephews, cousins, in-laws, family and friends along with the wonderful people at the Bee Hive who both loved and cared for her these past few years.  
    Memorial services for Lovilla will be held on Tuesday, May 21, at 2 p.m., at Melonie Park Church in Lubbock, Texas. The service will be officiated by Pastor Kyle Cochran, along with Bo Brock and Cord Cochran. 
    There will be a reception immediately following the service to allow people an opportunity to visit, reminisce, laugh, and enjoy some time together. 
    Memorial gifts can be given in her memory to the American Parkinson’s Disease Association (https://www.apdaparkinson.org). 
    To send condolences online, please visit www.
branonfuneralhome.com.
– Press-Reporter obituary services