Fay Longbon Cocke

Fay Longbon Cocke of Lynchburg died on Friday, February 4. She was three days shy of her 99th birthday. Mrs. Cocke was born in North Eaton, Ohio, on February 7, 1912, of an English father, Frank David Longbon, and a Scottish mother, Janet MacAdam Longbon.  She was always proud of her Scottish heritage.  She grew up on a dairy farm and, following her graduation from Eaton High School, where she was a stalwart member of the women\"™s basketball team, she moved to Washington, DC. Her first job was as secretary to an emerging entrepreneur, J. Willard Marriott. She occasionally reflected on the wisdom of her decision to leave that position to work in a photography studio, where she learned the art of photography and to hand color photographs. She then moved to the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO) and worked there for more than 30 years.  She and her husband moved to Blairs, VA, in 1975 and to Lynchburg in 1996.

She was already engaged when she met a tall, handsome young Virginian. She ended that engagement and married Hubert Lee Cocke on September 24, 1938, and they loved, honored and respected each other for nearly 68 years, until his death in 2007. Mrs. Cocke is survived by her daughter, Janet, and husband Julius Sigler of Lynchburg; three grandsons whom she loved dearly: Jonathan and wife Courtney, of Fort Worth, TX, James and wife Heather Ryan-Sigler, of Lynchburg, and Jeffrey and wife Veronica Brooks-Sigler of New Orleans, LA; and one great granddaughter, Julianna Erin Sigler of Lynchburg. She also is survived by her nieces, Barbara Hopkins, B. Fay Mychenberg, Diane Davis, and Jeanne Beddick, and nephews Donald Hawke and David Hawke of Ohio, Maryland, Delaware and Florida.

Mrs. Cocke was active in a variety of organizations. She attended the College Park United Methodist Church in College Park, MD for many years. She particularly enjoyed the \"Couples Club\" in that church. She attended the Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church in Blairs for 21 years and the Shiloh United Methodist Church in Lynchburg until her physical condition would no longer allow her to get to church. She was an active member of the Blairs Volunteer Fire Department Auxiliary and throughout her life supported a variety of charitable organizations through gifts of time, energy and money. She also loved to dance and the Cockes were members of a variety of square dance and ballroom dance groups throughout their lives.

Her life will be celebrated in a memorial service to be held at Tharp Funeral Home of Lynchburg at 11:00 am on Friday, February 11. Memorial gifts may be made to the Claytor Nature Study Center of Lynchburg College or to the Mt. Pleasant United Methodist Church in Blairs, VA.

 

Tharp Funeral Home & Crematory, Lynchburg, is assisting the family, 434-237-9424.