Tributes pour in for former San Antonio Mayor Lila Cockrell

SAN ANTONIO – Elected officials and other prominent San Antonians reacted to the death of former mayor Lila Cockrell on Thursday with tributes.

Cockrell was the first woman to serve as mayor of the Alamo City, serving as elected mayor from 1975 to 1981 and 1989 to 1991.

Judge Monique Diaz of the 150th District Court of Bexar County said, "It is thanks to you being the 1st that so many others followed."

"Thank you for your continued devotion to our city, and for forming the 1st Mayor's Commission on the Status of Women, allowing me to serve on it 49 years later. Rest In Peace Mayor Cockrell." 

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Bexar County Judge Nelson Wolff said Cockrell, who was inducted into the Texas Women's Hall of Fame in 1984, "set a tone that was hard for others to match."

"We all can be thankful for the way that she positioned the city when she became mayor," Wolff said. Wolff also remembered Cockrell for not having a "vindictive spirit that a lot of politicians have."

City Council member Shirley Gonzales called Cockrell a trailblazer.

"As the first woman Mayor of our city and the first female Chair of the CPS Energy Board of Directors she opened the door of possibilities to many of us who have followed her lead in public service. Her warm and congenial demeanor belied a tough negotiator and that example still resonates in City Hall," she said.

Congressman Joaquin Castro said Cockrell "was a towering beacon in San Antonio, a woman who defined what it is and what it means to devote yourself to the service of others. She is an inspiration to all of us. My condolences to her family and loved ones. Our city will miss her." 

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Former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, echoed the sentiment, saying Cockrell "was a trailblazer and a bridge-builder. The contributions she made to San Antonio reached every corner of our city and inspired so many of us. She will be missed."

Congressman Lloyd Doggett said, "Saluting Lila Cockrell, a long life, well lived, a true pioneer. Her work as the city's first female Mayor, and her continued leadership at the local level, exemplified what it means to be a public servant, all while breaking barriers for others to follow."

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Mayor Ron Nirenberg said that Cockrell was "a great San Antonian... If there were a Mount Rushmore for our city, Lila Cockrell would be on it."

Mary Jane Verette, CEO and president of the San Antonio Parks Foundation, called Cockrell a "champion of San Antonio public parks." Cockrell served as the president of the San Antonio Parks Foundation from 1998 until she retired in 2013.

She was "a strong leader who loved our commnity and served as a role model for future generations," Verette said.

WATCH: Current, former mayor remember Lila Cockrell

Below are more tributes to Cockrell via social media: