Betty Whatley Cobb

Betty Whatley Cobb passed away at her home in Plantation, Florida on October 26, 2017.  Betty Cobb's childhood friend Martha once said, "Betty, I envy you." Betty couldn't imagine why -- Martha was the most popular girl in their school. "Why would you envy me?" Betty asked. Martha replied, "When we were growing up, I was only comfortable with our little crowd, but you made friends in every group. You had friends everywhere."Born in Gum Springs, Arkansas, on August 9, 1933, Betty Marie Whatley Cobb spent a lifetime making friends everywhere. Her parents Ted and Mary Whatley brought Betty to Fort Lauderdale on vacation in 1936 and stayed because their only child's health improved in the South Florida climate.Betty was a latchkey kid in Depression-era Fort Lauderdale, with Ted and Mary working full time to make ends meet. When World War II broke out, Mary took Betty to the USO to play checkers with the servicemen. Throughout junior-high and high school, Betty sang in her school and church choirs, played church-league basketball, competed on the swim team, hung out at the beach and designed her own formal gowns for homecoming and prom dances.In 1951, Ted and Mary dropped off Betty to study advertising at the University of Florida and then left on a cross-country vacation. Betty discovered politics at UF, where she campaigned as fervently for student-government candidates as she later would for Plantation City Council hopefuls. At UF she met law student and fellow Fort Lauderdale resident Robert Elbert Cobb. Soon thereafter, Betty's grades improved because spending time with Bob meant spending time studying at the law library. After they graduated in 1955, Bob popped the question: "Betty, will you marry me ... someday?"Someday proved to be October 1956. Betty worked in advertising for Belk Lindsey department store while Bob hung out his shingle in a solo law practice. They moved to Plantation in 1959, and Betty embraced her young new community with characteristic fervor. While teaching jounalism and English at Stranahan High School, she led a Brownie troop, helped to found the Plantation Library and volunteered to tutor high-school students in the evenings. Bob and Betty welcomed their first child, Robin, into the family in 1962, followed by Dina in 1964. During the girls' school years, Betty led their Brownie troops, also volunteering at their elementary, middle and high schools, the Plantation Library, Plantation Woman's Club and American Field Service (AFS), an exchange-student organization. She was a founding member of the Plantation Historical Society. She also found time to host dinner parties for Bob's clients, campaign in local political races, take an annual vacation with Bob, visit her parents in North Carolina every summer, and work part time for a school-fundraising company.Betty's passion for service didn't wane once Robin and Dina finished school and left home, and she focused her energies on two areas: young people and the Plantation community. She loved working with students who volunteered during the summer months at Plantation Historical Museum, where the annual Winter Wonderland display of Christmas trees was a pet project. She also loved chairing the society's twice-yearly Plant Affair fundraiser, typically buying something from almost every vendor. After Bob's sudden death in 2003, Betty mourned deeply but refused to be broken by widowhood. She traveled extensively, devoted herself even more to her favorite organizations and created a supportive network of girlfriends who gathered frequently for lunch, dinner, theater outings and birthdays. In August 2016, she took what she said would be her last trip -- a Danube River cruise through Eastern Europe -- but by the end of the trip she wondered if a trip to China might be just the thing for 2017.After what appeared to be a gallbladder attack in April, Betty was diagnosed with metastatic cancer. Unfortunately, none of the oncologists consulted was able to conclusively determine the primary site of the cancer. That uncertainty and the advanced stage of the disease made treatment challenging. Betty shared few details of her illness with people outside her family, but she treasured the visits, phone calls, cards and support she received during the past six months. She wanted to stay in her home in spite of her declining health -- even refusing to evacuate for Hurricane Irma in early September -- so when she died early Friday, October 27, she was exactly where she wanted to be.During one of her last phone conversations, with her granddaughter Keren, Betty said, "Keep learning and growing. That's what life's all about. I think I might be learning it a little late in life, but I think I'm growing."  She is survived by her daughters Dina(Daniel) Hernandez of Orlando, Robin Collins of Palm Beach Gardens, and her grandchildren Kyle, Christina, and Keren.  Visitation will be Monday from 3:00 PM until 6:00 PM at the T.M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home 7001 NW 4 Street.  A Funeral service will be held Tuesday, 11:00 AM at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the Plantation Historical Society or the  GFWC/Plantation Womans  Club, Inc. PO Box 16845 Plantation,FL 33318-6845.  Arrangements by T.M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home. 954 587-6888