Born April 24, 1928 in Augsburg, Germany to Oskar Höbel and Anna Franz Höbel. She was the youngest of three (3) children. Her sisters, Eugenia and Lisi. In 1939, Paulina and her mother joined the New Apostolic Church. While working at a bookstore in 1948, a young American GI, Paul Cookson, frequented the bookstore. Soon a mutual interest grew, and they were married September 7, 1950, in Kitzingen, Germany. She and Paul had three (3) children, Allen “Rick” Broderick Cookson, born June 18, 1953; Andrea Gail Cookson, born May 25, 1955; Gregory Mark Cookson, born March 24, 1957. She became a US citizen on December 28, 1955. Until January 1965 when Paul Cookson retired from the US Army, she and family lived in several different places, including a yearlong stay in Maine with her sister-in-law, Janet Thibideau, while both their husbands were deployed overseas.
When Paul retired from the US Army, she and family moved to Houston, TX where she remained a resident the rest of her life. In May of 1965, her daughter passed away, May 7, 1965, from cystic fibrosis. On October 23, 1970, Gergory passed away. April 25, 1982, Paul died. On January 16, 1994, Rick passed away.
She wrote a letter to District Apostle Kaus in 1982, the contents are not known, but in his reply he wrote, “My dear Sister Cookson, only one person out of hundreds would write such a letter. Usually widows are full of complaints, heartache, sorrow and feel sorry for themselves. You have lifted up your head and you make use of the opportunity that is allocated to you. Carry on until you meet our loved ones … Carry on dear Sister Cookson, your wishes for yourself and for your son will come to pass. Have faith and patience and keep on praying; the impossible will be made possible.” That is the way she lived until July 17, 2021. She was active in church her entire life and actively attended until for health reasons she could not attend.

Paulina is survived by her nephew Oliver Hobel in Braunschweig, Germany, the son of her sister Eugenia; nephew Horst Brune in Wesel, Germany, the son of her sister Lisi.

Service Information

Wednesday, July 28, 2021
9:45 a.m. Burial
*Please line up in Lane 1

Houston National Cemetery
10410 Veterans Memorial Dr.

Houston, TX 77038

1 Comment

  1. Linda Buntain on July 29, 2021 at 11:41 am

    Rest in peace with the Heavenly angels, dear Sister Cookson! I learned sooo much from you, as a young Priest’s wife. I love you, Linda (Coleman)