He was born in Floyd County to the late Joseph Wooster and Frances Folsom Agee Cockram. He served in the U. S. Navy during World War II, a 1938 graduate of Meadows of Dan High School and was a member of Mountain View United Methodist Church. The family writes that yesterday, November 25, 2004, our little piece of these Blue Ridge Mountains changed forever. Our friend, Thomas Jefferson Cockram, passed away at age 88. He could be found daily in his chair in the back of the Meadows of Dan Food Market or eating breakfast at the local restaurant, going over the morning newspaper and underlining everything that interested him. As our unofficial Mayor, he loved meeting new people and greeting old friends. Ask him any questions about the people or history of this area and he could tell you their stories in detail. Tommy loved to walk, read, keep our community clean and care for and feed the neighborhood stray cats. The following is from a story written in 1984 about Tommy. This is an example of the fine man that he was. "On a recent cold Feb. day, Tommy made the trip to Meadows of Dan to pay his electric bill at the bank. The total amount due for a month was only $6.50. If this seems low, bear in mind that Tommy only has electric lights, a radio and a TV set. The literature that accompanied his bill states that donations were need to provide electricity for those less fortunate. In his battered old overcoat, Tommy waited patiently while the bank personnel decided on the correct procedure to accept his donation on behalf of the needy. Along with his $6.50 he added an extra 5.00 to be applied to those who were less fortunate. The bank employees were at a loss regarding what to do. No one had ever offered to pay more than was necessary to the power company. But Tommy Cockram, as has been his tradition all his life, had heard a plea for help and responded". Tommy's family was the whole community of Meadows of Dan. He belonged to and was loved by us all. He will truly be missed. Thomas J. Cockram was a legend and a friend to all who knew him. Tommy was Tommy.
He was born in Floyd County to the late Joseph Wooster and Frances Folsom Agee Cockram. He served in the U. S. Navy during World War II, a 1938 graduate of Meadows of Dan High School and was a member of Mountain View United Methodist Church. The family writes that yesterday, November 25, 2004, our little piece of these Blue Ridge Mountains changed forever. Our friend, Thomas Jefferson Cockram, passed away at age 88. He could be found daily in his chair in the back of the Meadows of Dan Food Market or eating breakfast at the local restaurant, going over the morning newspaper and underlining everything that interested him. As our unofficial Mayor, he loved meeting new people and greeting old friends. Ask him any questions about the people or history of this area and he could tell you their stories in detail. Tommy loved to walk, read, keep our community clean and care for and feed the neighborhood stray cats. The following is from a story written in 1984 about Tommy. This is an example of the fine man that he was. "On a recent cold Feb. day, Tommy made the trip to Meadows of Dan to pay his electric bill at the bank. The total amount due for a month was only $6.50. If this seems low, bear in mind that Tommy only has electric lights, a radio and a TV set. The literature that accompanied his bill states that donations were need to provide electricity for those less fortunate. In his battered old overcoat, Tommy waited patiently while the bank personnel decided on the correct procedure to accept his donation on behalf of the needy. Along with his $6.50 he added an extra 5.00 to be applied to those who were less fortunate. The bank employees were at a loss regarding what to do. No one had ever offered to pay more than was necessary to the power company. But Tommy Cockram, as has been his tradition all his life, had heard a plea for help and responded". Tommy's family was the whole community of Meadows of Dan. He belonged to and was loved by us all. He will truly be missed. Thomas J. Cockram was a legend and a friend to all who knew him. Tommy was Tommy.
