Cleo Mock, who lived in Patagonia for more than 80 years, celebrated her 105th birthday July 13. Cleo came to Patagonia in 1932 to help her grandfather Turner care for her ailing grandmother.
She met her husband, Dr. Delmar Mock, while attending Loma Linda University in CA. They moved to Patagonia after World War II where Dr. Mock established his medical practice, caring for patients from Nogales to Sierra Vista. Dr. Mock, for whom the Doc Mock Park is named, passed away in 2010. For several years Cleo, with the help of her daughter Nonie Weidemann, moved back and forth between Patagonia and California. She always wanted to spend the monsoon season and her birthday in her hometown.
Four months ago, she put her house up for sale and moved from Patagonia to Georgia, where she celebrated her birthday at the home of her daughter Delma Rigsbee, surrounded by 35 children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
She enjoys doing jigsaw puzzles and playing rummikub, and, according to her daughter Nonie, still beats her opponents every time.