Marjorie Cochran Thoman

Marjorie Elaine Cochran Thoman, “Marge,” born May 9, 1927, passed away on February 14, 2019 at the age of 91 in Fresno, CA. Marge was the youngest of 6 children born to Walter S. and Eleanor V. Cochran. Marge grew up on a small 40 acre farm at the intersection of Broadway and Rural Roads in Tempe, AZ. She remained a farm girl at heart throughout her life. She attended Arizona State College at Tempe, which is now Arizona State University, graduating with her Bachelor of Arts in Education in 1948. She taught the primary grades for 25 years, mostly for Bakersfield City School District. She spent most of her career at Longfellow Elementary School. Marge loved teaching children to read and felt it was the most important skill a child needed to learn. She embodied what it meant to value education. She was nominated for California State Teacher of the Year by her peers 3 times and was awarded the honor in 1989, the year she retired. Marge was brought up in the First United Methodist Church in Tempe, AZ where her grandparents were early founding members. Later, she was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Bakersfield, CA for many years where she taught Sunday school and Vacation Bible School as she raised her family. Marge loved art and enjoyed drawing and painting when she retired. She loved traveling and her trip to the Amalfi Coast in Italy was one of her favorites. She was a lifelong animal lover and had many cats and dogs over the years and she allowed her children to have all kinds of other pets. Most of all Marge loved her four girls. It was important that her daughters all graduate from college. She was so proud of their degrees from CSU Fresno, Baylor University, USC, UCLA, and Stanford.

Marge is survived by her four daughters: Deanna (Dee) Garvin, husband Terry; Pamela Ellzey, husband Ken; Sally Thoman, husband Greg Busche; and Patricia (Patti) Jennett; six grandchildren: Brett Garvin; Heidi Garvin Ballas, husband Jim; Kate Ellzey; Suzanne Jennett; Justin Jennett; and Scott Busche; four great grandchildren: Jack and Hope Garvin, Skylar Ellzey; and Ezra Ballas. She is also survived by her sister-in-law, Helen Sunden Cochran, 95 of Peoria, AZ.

The family would like to thank Maria Contreras for her loving care of their mother for the last 5 years. Also, the family would like to extend grateful thanks to the staff at Cedarbrook Memory Care for their loving kindness.

Visitation will be on Sunday, February 24, 2019, from 11:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Whitehurst, Sullivan Burns & Blair Funeral Home,1525 E. Saginaw Way Fresno, Ca. 93704.

The Celebration of Life Service will be on Monday, February 25, 2019 at 1:30 pm at Memorial United Methodist Church, 1726 Pollasky Ave, Clovis, CA 93612 in the church sanctuary.

Interment will be at Tempe Double Butte Cemetery, Tempe, Arizona.