Eleanor Cobb

Eleanor Molette Cobb, 89, died Monday, May 17, 2021 at her home in Selma, Alabama. She was born April 9, 1932, to the late Viola McAuley Molette and the late Robert Cochran Molette. Her early years were spent at her family’s home in Molette’s Bend, Alabama, until her father was called to active duty during World War II at Fort Moultrie, near Charleston, South Carolina.

Her family was stationed with him for four years, and they thoroughly enjoyed their years near Charleston, despite keeping a sharp eye out for German U-boats and listening to the terrific boom of the big guns of the fort.  Eleanor’s lifelong love of antiques and old houses undoubtedly sprang from those early years in Charleston.

After the war, her family returned to Molette’s Bend, and Eleanor graduated from Orrville High School. She then attended Mary Washington College in Fredericksburg, Virginia. She had a wonderful time exploring nearby Washington, D. C., and New York, until her parents became concerned she was becoming more interested in a certain young man than in her studies.

She returned to Alabama, enrolling in the University of Alabama and joining Tri Delta Sorority, only to promptly meet the love of her life, Charles Cobb. They soon married and began a wonderful life together in Selma, where both enjoyed a wide circle of beloved friends and where both became very active in the community.

Eleanor was a devoted member of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, where she taught Sunday School and also served as president of the Women of the Church and on the Altar Guild. She also enjoyed being a member of the Selma Charity League and Pandora. And she was an active member of the Daughters of the American Revolution, and the National Society of the Colonial Dames of America, where she served as Town Committee Chairwoman.

A devoted mother, she and Charlie raised their children, Eleanor and Buddy, in a wonderful neighborhood on Crescent Hill where their neighbors were college friends whose children all became good friends and playmates.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Charles R. Cobb, Sr.; her son, Charles R. Cobb, Jr., (Buddy); and her brother, Robert Cochran Molette, Jr.

She is survived by her daughter, Eleanor Cobb Cheatham (David); her sister, Eugenia Molette Parker (John); her three grandchildren, Eleanor Cheatham, Catherine Fogarty (Jackson), and Charles R. Cobb III; and a beloved group of nieces and nephews, great nieces and nephews, and cousins.

A visitation will be held at 2:00 p.m., Thursday, May 20, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, with the service following at 3:00 p.m. A private family burial will follow.

The family wishes to thank everyone at Southern Care Hospice for their support, and the family would like to especially thank the wonderful group of ladies who cared for Eleanor during her final months: Betty Evans, Judy McCreary, Lynn Aaron, Shania Furlow, and NeeNee Mcneil.

In lieu of flowers, donations to Eleanor’s favorite institutions would be appreciated: St. Paul’s Episcopal Church; Sturdivant Hall; and Conde-Charlotte Museum of Mobile.