Obituary of John Edward Mock
John Edward "Ed" Mock, 94, died on Sat., July 15 at TRU Hospice Care Center in Boulder.
Ed was born and raised in the small wheat farming town of Geneseo, Kansas. He graduated Geneseo High School in a class of 17 and was enrolled at Fort Hays State College when America entered WWII and he enlisted in the US Army Air Corps. During his time in the military he attended Operations and Engineering School. He finished his military service on Guam with the 354 Squadron of the 20th Air Force as a Staff Sergeant in Air Operations.
During a train trip to visit an uncle in Los Angeles while on leave from duty in Tonapah, Nevada, Ed met Bernice Hatch, the girl he would marry on March 31, 1946, in Greeley, Colorado, beginning a 71-year marriage. They later moved to Denver, where Ed attended the University of Denver under the GI Bill and finished his degree in June of 1948.
Ed's early jobs included washing windows on the Mountain Bell Telephone Co. building in Denver, selling life insurance, working at his father-in-law's Texaco station, and selling cars. He later went into real estate sales at Garnsey & Wheeler in Greeley, which would turn out to be his life's work, with most of his real estate career spent in Boulder.
The Mock family joined St Aidan's Episcopal Church shortly after moving to Boulder and Ed served on the vestry. They also joined Boulder Country Club. They took frequent family camping trips and often traveled to the family farm in Kansas during the summers so that Ed could help with the wheat harvest.
In December 1965 Ed and Bernice started Mock Realty, with Bernice handling the bookkeeping roles. Ed's oldest son, Ken, joined the company in 1968, starting up the property management department. He left Boulder for Steamboat Springs in 1979 and now lives in Texas. Ed's second son, Gail, joined the company in 1973, and his wife, Julie, took on the bookkeeping tasks in 2000. Gail owns and manages Mock Realty. Gail and Julie's daughter Natalie joined Mock Realty in 2007 as a broker associate. Ed's youngest son Bruce joined the company in 1990 and owns and manages Mock Property Management.
While building and managing a growing sales force over several decades, Ed also found time to start up and oversee 25 General and
Limited Real Estate Partnerships, the first of which developed Spanish Hills Subdivision and the last of which developed the Black Diamond Retail Center.
Later in his career, after his sons had assumed the responsibilities of running the brokerage and property
management companies, Ed devoted much of his time to working pro bono on real estate projects for such entities as Boulder
Community Hospital and the Boulder Valley School District. This volunteer work was his way of thanking the community that had
rewarded him so well.
He was active in several community organizations in Greeley and Boulder, including serving as president of
the Junior Chamber of Commerce in Greeley, and in Boulder on the boards of directors of Junior Achievement, the Mental Health Center,
the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, Memorial Hospital, and Frasier Meadows. He was a member of the Boulder Rotary Club for 43
years. He also served on corporate boards including Capital Federal Bank, United Bank, and Boulder Valley Bank.
Ed was bestowed several awards and honors over the course of his career, including being elected President of the Boulder Board of
Realtors and receiving Realtor of the Year Award, and induction into the Boulder County Business Hall of Fame in 2007.
As one who embraced life on every level, Ed was the kindest, warmest, and most nonjudgmental man. His family could count on him for his love, wisdom, humor, and compassionate words. He found extreme joy in living life. When both of his grandchildren got their driving permits, he had each of them drive him to Kansas to check out the family farm, all the while pretending to be asleep.
He died as lovingly as he lived. Even in his final days he showed great integrity, reserve, humility, and love to all. He courageously
completed a life full of dedication to his family and this community. His family and friends were blessed to know and learn from this
extraordinary man.
John Edward Mock was preceded in death by his father John Ernest Mock and his mother Edna Marie Mock. He is survived by his wife Bernice; son Kenneth; son Gail and his wife Julie; son Bruce and his wife Jere; grandson Brian and his wife Laura; granddaughter Natalie; and his namesake newborn great-grandson John James.
A Celebration of Ed's Life will be held at St. Aidan's Episcopal Church, 2425 Colorado Ave., Boulder, Colorado 80302 on Friday, July 28
at 10 AM.