Alphonse "Al" Cocek

Alphonse Joseph Cocek, fondly known as Al or Buddy, age 74, of Loveland, Colorado, formerly of West, Texas passed away on Wednesday, January 25, 2023.

Memorial Service will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday, February 18, 2023, at St. Mary's Catholic Church of the Assumption in West, with Rev. Timothy Vaverek officiating. Burial will follow at St. Mary's Cemetery.

Alphonse was born to Alphonse T. and Margaret "Margie" (Hutyra) Cocek, on March 15, 1948, in Waco, Texas. He attended St. Mary's Catholic School in West where he played football and served as an altar boy at Church of the Assumption. Shining shoes for Father's Miller and Quilter every other weekend was a story he liked to share. He graduated from West High School in 1966 and from North Texas State University in 1970 with a business degree.

His professional career as a Credit/Collection Manager with Dillard's in 1971 had Al and Stasie moving to San Antonio, Lubbock and Oklahoma City. Palais Royal (Stage Stores) brought them back to Texas in 1975, and he was able to add Operations Manager to his resume. The final 21 year's of Al's career were spent with Texas Process Equipment in Houston, a company that truly treated their employees as family and offered the perfect work-home life balance for their employees.

Al never really asked for much: A solid roof over his head, good food to eat, a bed to sleep in, and air conditioning. He loved sports, especially football and baseball (go Astros!), and music from the 50's and 60's. He thought he could sing just like Dean Martin, and his signature smooth dance move was The Stroll... how could Stasie resist him? He enjoyed a good drink and a colder beer. He was always willing and excited to try new food, especially anything spicy… but make him your best version of his mother’s food (especially her turkey and wedding dressing, pecan pie, Czech potatoes, chicken and dumplings, or her soups), and he’d be as giddy as a child on Christmas Day. He was usually tinkering with something, especially if it meant he got to use his tools, or wash the cars during his down time, but it didn’t take much to get him to play dominoes, cards, or a merciless game of Monopoly. He loved the smell of a bakery, fine leather, and firewood burning on the cold, winter air. Al was a devout Catholic, turning to prayer every day until his last breath. He gave more than his tithe because he wanted to help others any way he could, but if you had a raffle, fundraiser, or bingo night to help the church or those in need, he doubled down and wouldn’t take ”no” for an answer. He loved to sit in the garage or on the porch and watch the neighborhood breathe while he got lost in thought or prayer.

Al is preceded in death by his parents and a sister, Margaret Ann (Cocek) Anderson.

Survivors include his wife of 52 years, Stasie; daughter and son-in-law, Kendra and Damon DeLucia; son and daughter-in-law, Jonathan and Chrystal; grandchildren, Peyton DeLucia, Troy Cocek, and Skylar Trujillo. He is also survived by his aunt, Rosalee Hutyra; sisters in-law and spouse, Nica and Shelby Eckols, and Tappy and Allen Vanek; brothers in-law and spouse, Tiger and Susan Janek, Robert Janek, and Eddie and Kathy Anderson; and many nieces, nephews, cousins, extended family, and friends.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to St. Mary's School Endowment Fund or the American Cancer Society.