Cecil Louis Cobb

1954 - 2023

Cecil Louis Cobb departed this world on January 31, 2023, at the age of 68, unexpectedly and tragically young, but in the way he always said he would want to go: fast. Born on December 22, 1954, Cecil was a beloved native son of Fluvanna County, born and raised here by his mother, Jane Elizabeth Davis Cobb and adoptive father, Andrew Winn Cobb. He also was proud to share that his biological father was Robert "Bob" McQuain, who left to make his mark as an actor on the Andy Griffith Show and later became a realtor in Rogue River, Oregon.

He is survived by his life partner and wife, Tanya Denckla Cobb; son, Timothy Allen Cobb, born to Cecil's first wife, Patti Cobb; brother, Jay Allen Cobb and wife, Angelina Dodd Cobb; aunt, Charlotte Baker; uncle, Ty Cobb and wife, Barbara; first cousins, Deborah Davis, Hope Wood, and Leslie Davis Benson; and many additional cousins and relatives. Through his biological father, he is survived by half-brother, David McQuain and half-sister, Michelle McQuain and their children.

Throughout his entire life, Cecil brought humor and light to those around him. He was, by all accounts, one of a kind. He was always ready to listen, ready for adventure, ready to share any of his hundreds of remarkable escapades and stories, always aiming to make people laugh and smile, always loyal and protective of those he loved. Known affectionately by many locals as "C," he grew up in the small tight-knit community of Fork Union during a time when everyone knew everyone else, so stories about Cecil abound.

Cecil's friends always said he had nine lives: he had many near-death experiences over the years. The first near-death experience – in the 1976 accident that the surgeon said he would not survive – Cecil remembered seeing the light and hovering above the surgical table before returning to his body, proving the surgeon wrong. This first near-death experience transformed Cecil's outlook on life; he never again took life for granted. His bedrock belief was that every day alive was a good day, and life should be cherished and honored. His life was a testimony to this clarity of vision, as he treated people of all walks, origins, faiths, and races, as he thought they deserved to be treated – with grace, generosity, respect, and genuine curiosity about their path and journey. He knew who he was and was never intimidated by anyone or any situation, whether introducing a state Senator or insisting on payment from the head of a major east coast contractor. To so many he was indestructible, larger than life, healthy, vibrant, and both physically and spiritually strong. Yet Cecil's nine lives span far more than his innumerable escapades and brushes with death; he enjoyed at least nine different roles throughout his life – entrepreneur, mechanical genius and antique car restorationist, custom home builder, race car driver, hunter, firefighter, community leader, father, soul mate and life partner.

Cecil began his entrepreneurial career at the age of 10 by selling greeting cards. At the same time, his mechanical genius began to manifest when he scavenged parts from the local junkyard to build his first go-cart. Next, he bought a 1936 Dodge coupe from the junkyard for $10. Two years later, by the age of 12, Cecil had successfully built his first car: a '36 Dodge with a '42 Chevrolet motor and a '52 Chevrolet rear end. This was to become his lifelong passion, taking what others would consider junk autos and parts and rebuilding them into functional beauty, creating over his lifetime a legacy of at least twenty automotive works of art.

As a toddler, Cecil loved carrying around a hammer, a sign of what was to come. A straight-A student through high school, Cecil intended to go to college but after one semester at Piedmont Community College, he decided it wasn't for him and instead took courses to obtain a real estate license. Prior to starting his own custom home building company Cecil spent almost 20 years in commercial construction, working with contract teams to build some of the largest projects in the state of Virginia and gaining expertise in sales, estimating, and project management. He worked with renowned contractors such as Turner International, Morrison-Knudson (the company that built the Hoover Dam), Gilbane Building Company, and Fluor-Daniel, at the time the largest contractor in the world. Finally, wanting to be his own boss, Cecil founded Cobb Construction in 1993. Nearly thirty years later, with almost no advertising, Cecil never lacked for work and is leaving a legacy of over 150 custom homes in the five-county region. In 2021 he received the Fluvanna Review's Best Builder award, a fitting capstone to his reputation for excellence.

Many in Fluvanna remember drag racing with Cecil in the streets of Scottsville where they would block off the streets for side-by-side races down Main Street. A few decades later, an invitation to a drag race re-ignited Cecil's taste for speed. He restored a 1967 Chevy II into a gorgeous lightening-streaked beast with over 1000HP that could clock the 1/8 mile as fast as 5.35 seconds without any nitrous. He loved that racing was about focus and precision; he explained it as a challenge of both accurately and precisely predicting the interaction between the day's weather conditions, motor performance, and driver. And yes, he felt the need, the need for speed.

Like many people growing up in a small rural county, Cecil learned to hunt at an early age and became an excellent marksman, rarely missing a shot. He loved teaching and sharing this with his son, Tim, and the many hours they spent together in the woods formed a special father-son bond that he cherished.

Cecil believed in service to his community. He served as a volunteer firefighter for 10 years with the Fork Union Volunteer Fire Department, was a first responder for five years, and elected President of the Fluvanna County Fire Department. Many also remember Cecil as "Coach" for the nine years he coached Dixie Youth Baseball and served as President and Vice-President of the League. Cecil's natural conflict management skills proved helpful as he always said the biggest challenge in coaching was not the kids but managing the parents.

These same skills were needed when he was elected to the Fluvanna County Board of Supervisors for 12 years and served as Chair for six. Cecil was a natural born mediator, negotiator, and broker of the art of the possible. During his term, he dealt with some of the greatest changes in the county in his lifetime, and he oversaw numerous improvements to the county's physical infrastructure and services. He considered one of his greatest contributions to be overseeing the design of the County courthouse complex, the public safety building at Pleasant Grove, and the new Palmyra firehouse – all of which he succeeded in holding to a high level of design standards. During his twelve years, he served on numerous Boards and committees for the county, and he was a proud advocate for building at Pleasant Grove the new high school, library, Heritage Trail, and baseball, softball, and soccer fields. A long advocate for environmental protection and rural preservation, he also improved the Fork Union Sanitary District through loans and grants that replaced water tanks, water lines, improved water pressure, and a new water treatment facility that dramatically improved water quality. During his tenure, Cecil never took any of the public attacks personally, no matter how ugly or intense. He could always separate the person from the issue, saying that, although he might not agree with someone on a specific issue, they would likely find common ground on something else.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made in his name to the Fork Union Volunteer Fire Company. For the full version of Cecil's obituary and more about his life please visit Sheridan Funeral Home website: www.sheridanfuneralhome.com. If you have a story about any part of Cecil's life, his family would welcome receiving these personally or through the memorial website: www.cecilcelebration.com.

A celebration of life will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, April 2, 2023, at the Cunningham Creek Winery, 3304 Ruritan Lake Rd., Palmyra, VA 22963. In honor of Cecil, the winery is reserved for the whole day and please come at any time. People are encouraged to wear whatever is meaningful in how you related with Cecil; whether casual or dress, all are encouraged and welcomed.