Leah Irvine Cobb

Cobb, Leah Irvine
On March 8 Leah Irvine Cobb passed away surrounded by her loving family. She was born on September 12, 1912 to Palmer and Cecil Irvine, living on the then outskirts of Phoenix at 7th Street and Palm Lane and in the new state of Arizona. Adding to her Arizona heritage was her grandfather, J. A. R. Irvine, a member of the first Arizona State Legislature. Leah lived in Arizona for 98 years in the cities of Tucson, Phoenix, Flagstaff and Tempe. Proud of her pioneer family, Leah told stories of driving with her grandfather to San Diego, and having to camp overnight in Yuma since the trip was too long for one day. They also traveled the old plank road through the sand dunes. Her grandfather was so proud of the new state of Arizona that while in San Diego he would honk his car horn when he saw another car with an Arizona license plate. In 1931 she married Jim Cobb in Florence, Arizona who predeceased her in 1972. During WWII, she defied gender restrictions and did her patriotic duty by working at a Standard Oil Gas station pumping gas. She also worked at the Arizona State Hospital and at Eichenauer Health Foods where she learned about nutrition and became a life-long proponent of healthful eating and regular exercise. She was an athlete who started as a tennis player and went on to develop an appreciation for all competitive sports, becoming, along with her late sister, Virginia, an avid Sun Devil baseball fan. However, her two greatest passions were her church and her family. With her strong Christian faith, Leah regularly attended not one, but two churches simultaneously. She was a loyal member of First Baptist Bible Church and was in attendance there the Sunday before her death, yet she also continued an Irvine family tradition by serving in the United Methodist Women at Central United Methodist Church. Similar to her religious loyalty was her total commitment to her large family. Leah's patience, forgiving nature, and her quick mind (she was a formidable Scrabble player and had her last Scrabble victory during the week of her death) caused family members to gravitate to her home where they found a safe haven. She remembered everyone, not only several generation's worth of family, but also the names of their spouses. She is survived by her daughters, Peggy Jane Parsons (Marvin) of Camp Verde, and Doris Braender (Jim) of Phoenix, and her brother, J. Palmer Irvine (Jean) also of Phoenix. She is additionally survived by 6 grandchildren, 15 great-grandchildren, and 13 great-great-grandchildren and many nieces, nephews, including great nieces and nephews. We fervently hoped that she could celebrate her 100th birthday with the centennial celebration for Arizona, but, we are consoled by her 98 years, the living proof that goodness and mercy do follow one all the years of his or her life. A celebration of her life will be held at the First Baptist Bible Church, 8490 W. Camelback Road, Glendale, AZ 85305 on Saturday, March 19 at 11:00 AM. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests contributions to the First Baptist Bible Church.