Evelyn “Tina” Cockerham Pereboom, 86, of Galveston, passed away Saturday, February 27, 2021, at her residence. She was born August 22, 1934, in Leeds, Yorkshire, England and earned her bachelor’s degree in English history. She worked for many years in customer service for the airline industry. Tina loved her family and community. She gardened, cooked, played Pokeno, did tae kwon do, swam, played on the beach, and traveled.
Her travels led her far and wide, moving to Madrid, Spain, as a teenager from Leeds, Yorkshire, with her friend Alma. From there she moved to Texas. In Texas, she lived in South Houston, Houston, Pearland, Galveston, El Lago, Giddings, then back to Galveston, her favorite place. Tina visited Hong Kong, Hawaii, Alaska, Costa Rica, and the Amazon. She took cruises and safaris, and recently had traveled to the Taj Mahal, Italy, Greece, and Kenya. Her last overseas trip was to see her family in England.
As a child during the war, Tina was evacuated to the English countryside with her sister Jackie, and did not see the rest of her family for several years. During her childhood, she learned Spanish, French, Latin, sewing, knitting, crocheting, and thrift.
In Galveston, Tina participated fully in whatever interested her, including volunteering at Libbie’s Place, delivering food for Meals on Wheels, serving at her church, playing trivia on Thursday nights (and winning on a regular basis), filling in as a docent in the museum, dressing up for Dickens on the Strand, and riding on a Mardi Gras float throwing beads to the revelers. With her husband Bob, she purchased and renovated/restored historic houses, working with what had survived over the decades, and learning about construction techniques from each project. She loved hosting visitors and sharing the fun to be had in Galveston and Houston.
In Giddings, she achieved status of Texas Master Naturalist (Lost Pines Chapter), participated in the annual bird counts, and, with her hard-working husband Bob, built bird houses, grew grapes, made wine, grew vegetables, mended fences, and created a beautiful flower garden.
Tina was preceded in death by her parents, Jack and Evelyn Cockerham; husband, Robert L. Pereboom; sister, Sylvia and brother, Eric.
She is survived by her children: Karen Strawder, Sharon Nelson, Lynda Jacobson and husband, Jake, Brenda Lyons and husband, Mark, Stephanae Arnett, and Robert Pereboom; grandchildren: Michelle Tippens, Richard Wood, Angie Speck and husband, Will, Carolyn Snoke and husband, Nate, Tanner Jacobson, Logan Jacobson, Darian Wales and husband, Rob, Chad Harrelson, and Kelly, Rachel, and Michael Pereboom; ten great grandchildren; three sisters: Jackie, Joan, and Lynda; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Tina’s family will receive visitors beginning at 10:30 am, Thursday, March 4, at First Lutheran Church, 2415 Winnie, in Galveston. A funeral service will begin at 12:00 noon at the church. Private burial will be at Forest Park Lawndale Cemetery in Houston.
Service will be livestreamed and can be accessed by using this link: https://vimeo.com/event/399230