Pockels spent much of her life caring for her sick parents, which she noted to be "very challenging". Her father died in 1906 and her mother died in 1914. By that time, Pockels was herself in ill health, necessitating a stay for a time in a sanatorium. She traveled in Europe for enjoyment. During Pockels' later years, she was known for her role as an aunt, "Auntie Agnes."  
Pockels died in 1935 in Brunswick, Germany, in the town where she had lived for the duration of her career.