Mabel Caroline Hockett was born in Loring, Montana on December 22, 1932 to parents Andrew and Bertha Flansaas, who emigrated from Norway.
Mabel was a sophomore when the Loring High School closed. Rather than board in Malta, the family decided to send Mabel to the east coast to live with her sister Anna (Ed) Berdahl, where she helped take care of Anna’s children. Mabel made the trip by train from Malta, Montana to Philadelphia by herself at the age of 13. During the two years Mabel stayed with Anna she attended high school in Chevy Chase, Maryland and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
After graduating high school, Mabel returned to Montana and enrolled in Northern Montana College at Havre where she met Roy Hockett. Two years later they were married and moved to Missoula, Montana where Mabel received her bachelors degree. During Roy’s career as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force, they moved 12 times, living in seven different states. Along the way, Mabel earned her Masters Degree in Education from the University of California Berkley. Mabel earned straight A’s at Northern and graduated with honors from both U of M and UC Berkeley. She taught elementary school for several years before becoming a curriculum director and a principal.
Mabel enjoyed spending time with family in Montana and traveling the world with her husband Roy. They visited thirty foreign countries including Norway where they visited her mother’s and father’s birth places. They also completed countless Volkswalks (noncompetitive 10K walks/hikes) both here and abroad.
Mabel is survived by Roy Hockett, her husband of 68 years; sons Brian (Juanita) Hockett, Glenn (Laurie) Hockett; grandchildren Jonathan (BriAnn), Marcus (Kara), Corey and Kelly Hockett; and great granddaughters Sylvie and Freya Hockett. She is also survived by her brother John (Ruth) Flansaas and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her parents, brothers Albert and Glenn Flansaas and sister Anna Berdahl.
A memorial service will be held Friday, June 7th at 11:00 a.m., at Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church. A reception will follow in the social hall of the church. In lieu of flowers the family requests memorials to Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church https://www.ourredeemerlives.org/give/ and/or the Alzheimer’s Association, https://act.alz.org/site/Donation2?df_id=32112&32112.donation=form1&type=alzFooter Please visit below to offer the family a condolence or share a memory of Mabel.
Carol Lumsden says
I have many fond memories of Aunt Mabel. As a child, I always looked forward to summer visits from Mabel and Roy, Brian and Glenn. We had so much fun playing hide and seek in the barns, playing cards and watching them shoot guns. As a new grad from HS she hosted myself and a friend during our big adventure in CA. and then later when Pete and I visited with our children and they showed us all the highlights of the Fairfield, CA. area and Disneryland. Since I am a teacher too, she also took me to visit her school in Fairfield and later came with cousin Ingrid to visit in my little French class in Whitewater, MT. Since moving to MT we have enjoyed many visits and always felt welcome to “just drop in” on our way by Helena. When we did stop in we generally ended up staying for a meal or spendng the night.
Mabel always had a smile and was very interested in whatever was going on in our lives. I love her and will dearly miss her.
Ingrid Berdahl says
I can only echo what Carol says. My Aunt Mabel was a wonderful person in so many different ways. Kind, thoughtful, hardworking, creative. And always welcoming! I was regularly invited to dinner when she and Roy were living in Fairfield and I was working on a teaching credential at Berkeley. Like Carol, I became a French teacher, and when I was about to pull out of Mabel and Roy’s driveway to head east and take a job in Arlington, VA, Mabel handed me a bag full of treats with instructions to pull one out every two hours while I was driving—everything from chewing gum to her favorite recipes.
I think Mabel was a born teacher. Who else would wash the blackboard and tell her third-graders to watch the board and see what happened to the water? Mabel said they were looking all over for it.
In 2004 a French friend of mine and I traveled out West and stopped to stay a couple of days with Mabel and Roy in their “hunting cabin.” That is when we had our delightful visit to Carol’s French class in Whitewater. We loved both the school and Carol’s class. And, as I remember, Mabel and Roy had a freezer full of buffalo meat because Mabel had just shot a buffalo in some event. So we got a taste of that meat at dinner!
It seems to me that wherever she was, whatever she was doing, Mabel was always truly, fully present in the moment. I am so sorry she is no longer with us, but so grateful that she was part of our lives.
ignacio fernandez says
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I remember meeting Mabel on a pheasant hunt in Montana and taken by her kindness and cooking of wild meats. I painted this caricature as a tribute to the hospitality Roy and Mabel gave so generously. A lasting positive impression that I still hold. May she rest amongst the best!
Lynn Verkler says
I remember my cousin Mabel more like a big sister since her Mother (my Aunt Bertha) raised me and my sister Anita since I was 5 years old. Mabel was 6 years older than me but was still attending school in Loring when I started 1st grade there. She used to help me with school work at times and I specifically recall her showing me how to write my name. I remember we used to ride part way home from school with the neighbor and they would drop us off at the junction leading to Hermanson school where we would walk the rest of the way home (about a mile).
I didn’t see Mabel as much when she went to stay with Anna during her high school years but she would be back home in the summer often baking something delicious in the kitchen.
I recall many interesting and fun times with Mabel when I was growing up but I recall specifically one hot summer evening when Mabel, Anita and I decided to sleep outside so Mabel got some blankets and we bedded down in the haystack looking up at the stars and Mabel pointed out some of the constellations in the sky. What fun!
Mabel and Roy always welcomed us at their place both in California and Helena when are travels brought us close by. They made several trips to Seattle area sometimes with their motor home. At on stop when we lived in Burien (a suburb of Seattle) Art and Roy went to a gun show and Mabel decided to go on one of her Volkswalks so I went with her and we walked all around Alki to the lighthouse and back. Don’t recall the exact distance but I really had to step it up to keep up with her. I have many other wonderful memories of her and she will be greatly missed.
Mary and Johnny Wisman says
Our hearts and prayers are with you and your family.
A donation in Mabel’s name was made to the Alzheimer’s Association in the amount of $50.00.
May Mabel’s spirit and peace be always with you.
Marilyn Garrahsn says
Our thoughts and prayers to the family. Fond memories of her and Bob.
From the entire Garrahan famiiy
Marilyn, Monica and Gretchen
Janet Mansfield says
I have memories of Mabel as a fellow dormitory person at NMC. We gals always had fun times.