Paul Harrison Mock
March 2, 1924 to November 1, 2022
The grandson of a pioneer family which homesteaded southeast of present-day Altus in 1887 and a lifelong resident of Altus, Paul Harrison Mock, who had achieved the age of 98, passed away Tuesday, November 1, at Jackson County Memorial Hospital. Paul Mock was born on his grandparents’ homestead on March 2, 1924, to Ralph Harrison Mock and Lily Icie (Pribble) Mock. He attended his junior and senior years of high school and his freshman and sophomore years of college at the New Mexico Military Institute in Roswell, New Mexico, a school whose motto is “Duty, Honor, and Achievement.” Continuing a family tradition of military service, Paul entered the U. S. Army on June 15, 1943, at the age of 19. He served as an engineer in a combat battalion in the European and Pacific theaters. Following his discharge from the Army as a First Lieutenant in 1946, he earned a degree from Oklahoma A & M College, which is now Oklahoma State University. During his years in Stillwater, he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity.
Paul married Mary Nell Sipes in Oklahoma City on July 10, 1949. Mary Nell was the granddaughter of an early-day cattleman who owned the Cross S Ranch south of present-day Olustee. Throughout their fifty-eight years together, Paul loved and
cherished Mary Nell, a woman family and friends described as “filled with grace and beauty, and the epitome of class and elegance.” Paul and Mary Nell made their home in Altus where Paul joined his father Ralph in the family farming and cattle business. Later, Paul’s younger brother John also joined the family business. And, that tradition continued when John’s son Barry joined the business after graduating from Oklahoma State University. Intent on advancing the cattle industry, Paul served on various boards throughout the Southwest including those of the Oklahoma Cattlemen’s Association and Texas Cattle Feeders Association. In 1964, he was appointed by Oklahoma Governor Henry Bellmon to serve as the first Director of the newly formed Oklahoma Beef Institute. Both Paul and John, as co-owners of the Mock Brothers Cattle Company, partnered with longtime friend Don Kizziar and office manager Ralph Goodin to establish Cattle Management Systems, Inc., an innovative computerized feedlot management system. Paul also served on the Vestry of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Altus and as an Exalted Ruler of the Altus Elks Lodge. Paul was honored as a Graduate of Distinction of the Animal Science Department of Oklahoma State University in 1974. In 1986, he participated in the Thirty-Third Annual National Security Forum at Maxwell Air Force Base. Even with all his commitments, Paul developed a passionate love for the game of golf. He enjoyed traveling and playing a round of golf whenever possible. Having never met a stranger, Paul made friends at each course on which he played.
Paul was preceded in death by his parents Ralph (1894-1993) and Icie (1893- 1979), his wife Mary Nell (1924-2007), and his sister Virginia Snell (1927-2016).
Paul passes along a rich family heritage of love for family, faith in God, and service to country and community to his son Paul Harrison Mock, Jr. and wife Sandra of Irving, Texas; his daughter Melissa Mock Brewster and husband Scot of Rancho Santa Fe, California; his grandchildren Sterling Brewster of Los Angeles, Meredith Brewster Hibble, and husband Parker of Dallas, and Spencer Brewster of Austin; his brother John Mock of Altus; many loving nieces and nephews; and friends too numerous to count. His family is also very appreciative of the loving care and attention Paul received from caregivers Stacy Cansler, Joan Ballard, and Lisa Tinsley.
The Mock family has chosen to hold his Celebration of Life on Veteran's Day, in honor of his service and love for his country at, 11:00 AM on Friday, November 11, 2022, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 721 North Thomas Street in Altus, with The Reverend Suzanne Mollison officiating.
The family requests that in lieu of flowers memorial donations be made to the Museum of the Western Prairie or St. Paul’s Episcopal Church.
On-line tributes may be made to the family at www.Lowell-Tims.com
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Memorial
11
Nov
721 N. Thomas
Altus, OK 73521
