Ann J. Cochennet

Ann Mueldener Cochennet, 91, of Emporia, passed away October 14, 2021 at Presbyterian Manor.

Ann was born to parents Frank and Pearl Mueldener on January 17, 1930 in Lyons, Kansas.  After her mother died when she was two, she was raised by her maternal aunts, Minnie and Myrtle Haas.

Ann graduated from Lyons High School in 1948, received a BA in Education from Kansas State Teachers College, Emporia, in 1951 and, while a full time working mother, earned a MA in Education in 1967.

Ann was married to the late W. L. (Bill) Cochennet in 1952 and they shared a home in Emporia until his death in 1998.  She was preceeded in death by a grandson Trenton and her sister, Rita, and is survived by her three children, Challa Patchett (Bill), Lawrence; Brad Cochennet (Susan), Emporia; and Carrie Van Sickle (Bill), Wichita; six grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.

Ann taught English at Kansas State Teachers College in Emporia in 1965, at Roosevelt High School in 1966, and  in 1967 accepted a position at Lowther Junior High in Emporia, teaching seventh grade English where she taught for 25 years, retiring in 1992.  She loved books and reading and was happy to pass that love on to her students.  She is fondly remembered by many of her students and enjoyed hearing from them and seeing them around town.  She was always pleased to hear about their achievements.

She served on the Emporia Public Library board for two years, was an active member of PEO, the First United Methodist Church, and Tri-Sigma alumni.

In addition to reading, she enjoyed gardening, cooking, sewing and needlework, spending time with her many friends and family, playing bridge, attending games and events at ESU, taking her dogs for long walks, and visiting the Emporia Zoo.  She had several bird feeders in her garden on South Commercial and enjoyed watching the many birds that visited them, especially the wrens.

Family and friends will gather to celebrate Ann's life at the Gufler Mansion, 612 West 12th Avenue, Emporia, Kansas on Saturday, December 4, 2021 at 2:00 P.M.

Rather than flowers, the family suggests donations in support of Alzheimers research or the Emporia Zoo.  Contributions may be sent in care of Roberts-Blue-Barnett Funeral Home, PO Box #175, Emporia, Kansas 66801.