Willard Howard Cobb Jr.

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Willard Cobb Obituary

Willard Howard Cobb, Jr.

AGE: 92 • Cokesbury Village

Willard (Bill) Cobb, age 92, died peacefully on January 9, 2015 at Cokesbury Village where he lived for the last fifteen years. Bill was born in Newton Centre, Massachusetts to Virginia Emmons and Willard Cobb Sr. He was a graduate of Cheshire Academy. He attended Yale University for two years before serving in the U.S. Army Signal Corps in the U.S. and Europe during World War II. Bill graduated from Bowdoin College in 1947 and started with the DuPont Company in Seaford, Delaware. There he met the love of his life marrying Inez Macklin in 1949. Bill had a 38 year career with the former Textile Fibers Department of DuPont participating in a number of marketing and planning management positions. Among his college, civic and church activities, he served as President of the Bowdoin Alumni Association in 1974.

Bill's interests included sports, gardening and reading. His greatest loves were his wife, Inez, his son, Barry, and his son's family.

Bill and Inez are blessed with many friends they made and kept while living in Rhode Island, Ohio, New Jersey and Delaware through Bill's DuPont career. They enjoyed many happy, momentous occasions together including Bill's 60th birthday weekend and 40th anniversary party.

Bill and Inez took advantage of having their grandsons nearby for birthday celebrations, holidays, fun family trips and Sunday night dinners all infused with helpful grandparental guidance.

For the last ten years, Bill was dedicated to the compassionate care of Inez in the skilled nursing facility at Cokesbury Village and all residents of the Willow Brook Court unit. He established an annual award for an outstanding health care CNA and organized volunteers to accompany health care residents to the many entertainment events at Cokesbury.

He was a member of Westminster Presbyterian Church and the Wilmington Country Club.

He is survived by his son, Barry, his daughter-in-law, Rosemary, two grandsons, Bill (Christie) and Brendan (Katy) and a great grandson Macklin.

There will be a memorial service at Cokesbury Village on Sunday, January 18 at 1:30 PM. Burial services in Seaford, DE will be private. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Cokesbury Village through the PUMH Foundation Special Care Fund, 726 Loveville Rd., Suite 3000, Hockessin, DE 19707 or Westminster Presbyterian Church, 1502 West 13th Street, Wilmington, DE 19806.

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Published by The News Journal from Jan. 13 to Jan. 15, 2015.

Memories and Condolences
for Willard Cobb

6 Entries

Judy Morton

January 16, 2015

Dear Barry, Rosemary and family,

I am so sorry to hear of your dad's passing. Bill and Inez were two of my favorite people during our years at Grace Church. He was truly a special person -- caring, thoughtful and encouraging. I enjoyed reconnecting with him during my days working at Neighborhood House. Please know that you all in my thoughts and prayers.

JANE HOGAN

January 15, 2015

Dear Barry,
We are thinking of you, Rosemary and your two wonderful sons at this difficult time. Oh how we loved both your parents. Your mother so elegant and bright. Your father so welcoming, loving, and strong with a heart of gold. What a terrific couple. You were so fortunate to have them both and now they are together in heaven smiling down on the four of you. Your father always shared his faith with me which is why I share it now. I trust that the wonderful memories you share will sustain you along with the Love of Christ as you go forth in this world. There is no greater gift to have than a great father and Barry you certainly had the best. We will all miss him. I can feel his great big arms around me giving me a hug whenever I would see him. My parents so loved both of yours. They had so much fun together and shared so much love. They were such supportive friends and such a tribute to what it means to be kind and unselfish. May you always know you have our love and support - Chris, Jane and Annie Hogan

Annie and Mike Gallagher

January 15, 2015

Dear Barry -
Mike and I were so sorry to learn of your Dad's death. He was such a kind man and always made us feel so welcome whenever we saw him.

Please know that you, Rosemary and your sons are in our thoughts during this difficult time. We hope the wonderful memories you have of your Dad are a comfort to you now. Janie Hogan also sends her love.

Fondly,

Annie and Mike Gallagher

Trish Cashwell

January 14, 2015

Sending my condolences.

David Brown

January 13, 2015

I write to express deepest sympathies of the Werner Brown family, in particular his six children Steve, Peggie, Matt, Alice, Richard and me. All of us grew up knowing Bill, and our hearts go out to Barry and his family.

Bill was one of our Dad's very dearest friends going back at least 60 years after Bill was invited to join a close-knit social group of Duke graduates in Wilmington who had known each other at Duke before moving to Wilmington where the group members became and remained best of friends for life. Bill was the only man invited to join this group who was not a Duke alum, giving testimony to the great affection and respect the entire group had for him. More recently, Bill often visited or called to check on our Dad in Dad's declining years when Bill's loyalty had special meaning and impact. It is as touching to us as it is ironic that Bill passed away just one day after our Dad -- when Bill's tender attentions were no longer needed to give comfort to Dad. We will never forget all that Bill did for our Dad -- and all that Inez did prior to her passing. Soon after the death in 1986 of our Mom, who had been good friends of Bill and Inez also, they introduced our Dad to their good friend, Isabella Tarumianz, who had recently been widowed herself. That introduction sparked a romance resulting in a second marriage for both Isabella and our Dad, followed by many wonderful years together that included a number of happy get-togethers with their treasured friends and match-makers, Bill and Inez.

Bill was one of the finest and kindest men I have ever known. He was large in stature and in heart and did not have a whit of pretense or a selfish bone in his body. There will be a large crowd behind St. Peter to welcome Bill with cheers at the gate, and I can guarantee that our Dad will be pushing his way to the front row.

Patricia Hand-Harris

January 13, 2015

So sorry to hear of the passing of Mr Cobb. He and Mrs Cobb were fine and decent people. May God grant them eternal peace.

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