Priscilla Cobb mothered nine children, 39 grandchildren, 57 great-grandchildren and two great-great-grandchildren.
She was the matriarch to her family — and the St. Paul neighborhood where many benefited from her mothering ways. She opened her home to anyone in need of cheering up and a home-cooked meal.
On Nov. 5, friends and family said goodbye to the woman whose love had never ceased to comfort those she knew. At age 91, Cobb died at Regions Hospital in St. Paul.
At a young age, Cobb grew accustomed to taking care of those she loved. When she was growing up on a farm in Oklahoma with her eight siblings, her mother died, leaving her to take care of her younger brothers and sisters. From sunup to sundown, Cobb tended the children and the farm.
When Cobb married in 1943, she joined another large family, that of her husband, Dock. With so many mouths to feed, Cobb packed up and left her family farm to pick cotton in Arizona. Cobb picked cotton with her family for more than a year before moving to Minnesota to join two of her siblings.
Her daughter, Denise Trass, 55, said her mother was searching for a better life for her children when she moved to Minnesota.
Cobb landed a job as a nurse's aide at St. Joseph's Hospital in St. Paul. She then took a job at Control Data, where she worked her way up from handling calls to become a supervisor.
Cobb leaned on her faith as a Jehovah's Witness to get her through tough times, said her son Michael Cobb, 52. It guided her and kept her strong through the many hardships she faced, including the death of her daughter Patsy at 9 months and her son Charles at 38.
"She went through a lot of grief in life," Trass said. "She never stopped having faith."
Cobb turned to her faith for solace again in 1996 when her husband of 53 years died after a struggle with prostate and lung cancer.
"You can tell when people are in love," Michael said. "A few times my dad would sing love songs to her, and as a kid it's kind of mushy. When you grow up, you start understanding why."
Cobb wore many hats — literally. She had about 30 hats. They matched her suits and shoes. When she would go out on the town, she wore her signature hats, Trass said.
Cobb also helped the neighborhood girls get glamorous. Trass said her mother was the informal neighborhood beautician.
Cobb put love into her cooking. Each Sunday, all the relatives would visit to grab a bite of Southern specialties, including peach cobbler.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew they were welcome at Cobb's home.
Michael Cobb said all the neighborhood children called his mother "Mom," oftentimes making him believe that he had more than nine siblings.
"It was to the point that she showed so much love for everyone … I would get confused," he said. "We felt special that we had her for so long … that she was our mom."
Cobb is survived by eight children, two siblings, and her many grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren.
Beatrice Dupuy 612-673-1707
