Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Plantation historian
Betty Cobb, a wellknown figure in Plantation civic circles, died Friday at her home after a six-month bout with cancer. She was 84.
Cobb served on the board of directors for the Friends of the Plantation Library, as a member of the Plantation Historical Society, and a chairwoman of the Broward County Historical Commission.
She also served as a board member and former president of the Plantation Woman's Club, the oldest civic organization in the city. She joined in 1971 and was the longest living member of the club, friends said.
“It’s the end of an era,” said Gloria Merritt, Cobb’s friend for almost 40 years. “In the old days, there wasn’t anybody who didn’t know Betty. She was in everything, [even] the German Shepherd Club.”
Cobb was a walking history book and her friends joked she knew the gossip, the facts — and the skeletons.
“She would give you details from 1939,” said former Councilman Rico Petrocelli. “She knew everything.‘’
Cobb, who taught English and journalism at Stranahan High School, was born in Arkansas and moved to Broward in 1936. She is a graduate of Fort Lauderdale High School.
She and her husband, Robert, both attended the University of Florida. They married on Oct. 28, 1956, and moved to Plantation in 1959.
Her husband was the last municipal judge for the city of Plantation, serving two years in the mid-1970s. He died in 2003.
Shirley Ware became friends with Cobb in the early 1970s when their children attended Plantation Park Elementary School.
“She was the lifeblood of so many organizations,” Ware said. “I can’t even imagine this town without her. Betty was always out there organizing things.”
Cobb is survived by two daughters, Dina Hernandez, of Orlando, and Robin Collins, of Palm Beach Gardens, and three grandchildren.
“She loved Plantation,” Hernandez said. “She devoted decades to her community. She figured if she was going to live here, she’d be part of making it a better place.’’
Visitation will be from 3 to 6 p.m. Monday at T.M. Ralph Plantation Funeral Home, 7001 NW Fourth St. The funeral will be Tuesday.