Lorraine V. Cobb

Lorraine Virginia Martinson Cobb, Topeka, died Tuesday, July 27, 2010. She was born August 29, 1910, the second daughter of Charles Alfred and Lulu Virginia Sjolander Martinson. Lorraine graduated from Seaman High School where she was Valedictorian and attended Kansas State University. She worked as a secretary at Security Benefit for a number of years and for DuPont until she retired.

Lorraine was strong, athletic, and adventuresome. When the Alaska Highway was being built, she braved the cold Alaskan temperatures and worked as a secretary until the highway was completed.

During WWII, she served with the American Red Cross in the Philippine Islands, where she met and married Captain Philip Cobb in Luzon. To this union a son, Terry Cobb, was born.
When the DuPont Plant opened in 1957, in Topeka, Lorraine was the first person hired locally, where she was personal secretary to Bob Reagan. After retirement, she worked as a legislative secretary for Senator Fred Kerr. Until she was eighty years old, she was a housemother at the Twin Sisters Lodge located at the YMCA Camp, in Estes Park, Colorado.

Later she volunteered at the Kansas Historical Museum on weekends and during the week at Stormont Vail Regional Medical Center, where she had more than 22,500 volunteer hours. On October 1, 2001, she was awarded the "2001 Distinguished Auxilian Award".

She is survived by her son Terry (Beverly) Cobb of Topeka, two grandchildren, Bryan (Kristin) Cobb of Saugus, California and Reagan Cobb of Miami, Florida; great-granddaughter, Jessica Cobb of Saugus, California, two sisters, Madeleine Martinson and Barbara Edds, a brother David (Virginia) Martinson and a former daughter-in-law, Joyce Cobb of Topeka, as well as a number of nieces and nephews. A sister, Margaret Martinson and brother, Charles Martinson, preceded her in death.

She was a member of West Side Baptist Church for over eighty-three years.

She will be missed by all who knew her as a lady who sincerely helped, cared and thought of others.

Graveside services will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, August 2, 2010 at Mount Hope Cemetery. Lorraine will lie in state at Penwell-Gabel Mid Town Chapel after 2:00 p.m. on Sunday and visitation will be from 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Memorial contributions may be sent to the West Side Baptist Church, 1008 SW. 4th Street, Topeka, or to the donor's choice.