Firefighter’s name joins his father’s on Fort Worth memorial

Gregory C. Cocke shared a love of firefighting with his dad. Today, his name is engraved near his father’s, both etched into the black granite of the Fort Worth Police & Firefighters Memorial. Cocke, 41, a Fort Worth firefighter for 16 years, died March 14 after suffering an aneurysm after a training exercise. His name and that of police officer Thaddeaus James Stevenson were added to the memorial Tuesday afternoon.

They joined 95 public servants honored previously — three deputy city marshals, 37 firefighters and 55 police officers — on the monument in Trinity Park, which was dedicated June 5.

About 25 people gathered Tuesday on a windy, chilly but sunny day to watch as Roberto Venegas, shop foreman for Worthington Monuments of Fort Worth, carefully measured the spaces set aside for the two new names. The names were stenciled onto adhesive sheets and then sandblasted into the monument.

“It’s a very emotional day,” said Teresa Cocke of Weatherford, Gregory Cocke’s widow. She was accompanied by their children, twins Alissa and Robby, both 13; daughter Cora, 11; and other relatives and friends.

“We’re happy and sad at the same time. It’s an honor, but we wish he were here with us.”

She said her husband joined the Fire Department the same year his father died.

“We’re glad Greg gets the recognition he deserves. He was a good man,” said his mother, Phyllis Cocke of Azle. She added that her family has a 43-year history of firefighting in Fort Worth. The elder Cocke also lost his life after firefighter training.

According to research, Battalion Chief Robert R. Cocke, a firefighter for 27 years, was conducting a training exercise at a high-rise in downtown Fort Worth on Nov. 17, 1993, when he had a heart attack. He was hospitalized for two weeks. He was released from the hospital Dec. 5 and had a fatal heart attack the next day. He is buried in Azle.

Kevin Foster, historian for the Fort Worth Police Department who researched the histories of the heroes recognized on the memorial, said Stevenson, 61, was wounded by a man who fired a shotgun Aug. 30, 1951.

According to Foster’s research, pellets hit Stevenson on the right side of his face, neck and right arm, and hit his jugular vein. In 1952, he suffered a serious stroke that paralyzed the right side of his body and left him bedridden and unable to speak.

Documents state that other officers donated days off so that Stevenson could continue to receive a pay check after he used all of his leave. It was believed that the gunshot wounds and post-traumatic stress disorder from the incident were likely the cause of his stroke. He was declared permanently disabled in 1955, given one year of injury leave and was retired from the force, according to Foster. He died Oct. 25, 1961, after 28 years of service.

The memorial consists of bronze sculptures of a firefighter and a police officer holding a horse with two high walls nearby listing names.

The $1.2 million project, 20 years in the planning, was paid for with donations from individuals and companies and was built on 5 acres donated by the city.

Memorial The Fort Worth Police & Firefighters Memorial, at the north end of Trinity Park along West Seventh Street, is open daily from 5 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. The displays and pathways are always illuminated, and the area will be patrolled regularly, officials have said.
By Elizabeth Zavala in The Fort Worth Star-Telegram