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IN LOVING MEMORY OF

Carolyne C.

Carolyne C. Cobaugh Profile Photo

Cobaugh

April 6, 1917 – December 14, 2018

Obituary

Carolyne C Cobaugh (née McGurk) passed away Friday, December 14, 2018 at Broomall Rehab & Nursing Center Long Term Care Facility.  She was 101.  Born in Philadelphia on April 6, 1917, she was the daughter of the late Charles and Maria (Nahrgang) McGurk.  She was predeceased by her husband, Edward J. Cobaugh (1950). She was a long time resident of Narberth from 1946 until 2014 when a fall precipated a move to long term care.

Among her many accomplishments, she was a skilled seamstress, a gifted artist and an avid gardener.  She enjoyed a brief acting career in her late 60's appearing in several films, commercials and cable soap operas.  A survivor, she overcame the hardship and tragedy in her life with her faith, independent spirit and inner strength.

She will be greatly missed by her 3 children, Carolyne Cobaugh Meyer, Paul Cobaugh and Bernadette Cobaugh Danneker, 7 grandchildren and 13 great grandchildren.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Thursday December 20, 10:30 AM at St. Margaret Church, 208 N. Narberth Ave., Narberth, PA. Relatives and friends are invited to her viewing at the Church from 9:30 to 10:30 AM.   Burial will follow at Calvary Cemetery in West Conshohocken, PA.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Pennsylvania SPCA, 350 E. Erie Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19134

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EULOGY FOR CAROLYNE MCGURK COBAUGH
DELIVERED DECEMBER 20, 2018 AT ST MARGARET'S CHURCH
Good Morning! Thank you for coming to honor and remember a beautiful and very
special lady, CAROLYNE CECELIA MCGURK COBAUGH.
Growing up in a German household she learned the valuable lessons of frugality and
thrift that would serve her well throughout her life – through the Depression as a
teenager, through the War years as a young adult and ultimately as a single parent.
Waste not, want not" words I heard over and over, but living these words were key to
her survival and success.
At a young age she went to work as a seamstress and it was during this time that she
met her future husband, Edward. She was not at all interested in him but reluctantly
agreed to a date. And each date was supposed to be the last so she thought. Then one
night he told her he wanted to give her a ring for Christmas. "But I don't need a ring, "
she replied, "my father just gave me one for my birthday." Finally realizing his intent,
she commented, "But why me? There's a lot of nice girls out there. What about Betty so
and so, she's a nice girl?" Well I don't know the rest of that conversation, but I do know
the rest of the story. They were married in January 1938.
In 1946, Carolyne and Ed moved from the city to the little town of Narberth. Housing
was scarce immediately following the war so they settled on whatever they could find.
To say that it was a disappointment is an understatement. " I was sick when I saw the
house." She was known to say. But in the years to come she would transform that little
house into a beloved abode which she clung to for almost 70 years.
Without warning, in February 1950, Ed suffered a massive stroke. His death left her a
widow at 32 with 3 small children, 7,4 and 2.
I witnessed as a child, the struggles and hardships she endured in the years following
his death. How she managed – dealing with poor health, meager resources and limited
income while faced with raising 3 children alone, can only be attributed to her self
reliance, inner strength and most of all, her faith in God. There were no support groups,
no go fund me pages or social media sites then. She had no one to rely upon but
herself. Even the night of her husband's funeral, she was left alone.
At this point, I would like to relate an incident, or actually, these were repeated incidents
that left a lasting impression on me. Back in the early 50's, the church had strict rules
regarding fasting before receiving Holy Communion. You had to fast from midnight
Saturday night to receive Communion Sunday morning. As I mentioned, she was in
​poor health after my father's death and took nutrition milkshakes to build up her
strength. I watched her more than once, at the stroke of midnight, put that drink down
no matter how hungry she was so she could receive Communion the next day. That, to
me, was a clear sign of not only how much she valued receiving that sacrament, but
how much her faith meant to her.
When we were old enough, to stretch her limited income, she went out evenings to baby
sit. She managed to put those frugality skills she learned at an early age to good use to
make ends meet and make the most of what she had. Make no mistake about it, we
were poor! But that didn't stop her from trying to improve our situation. She managed
to make major improvements to her little house, paid off the mortgage, put braces on
our teeth, take us to the shore for 2 weeks in the summer. It was her determination,
management skills and willingness to find a way that made these things possible.
Then in her early 70's she developed colon cancer. But she was not deterred by this
setback. Fortunately it was treated successfully and she went on with her life. She
traveled, enjoyed a brief acting career appearing in short films and commercials.
She loved her birds, gardening, plants and flowers – she had an amazing green thumb
– you could always find a cutting or even just a leaf rooting in a tiny jar on a windowsill.
But most of all she loved clothes! "Clothes are my hobby she would say" and she
collected them as avidly as any collector. She was a skilled seamstress and a gifted
artist. And I would be remiss if I didn't mention her beloved feline companion of 18
years, Tom. We always seemed to have a resident cat but Tom was special, Tom was
HER cat. She cherished his memory years after he passed. He was sorely missed.
At the age of 85, she fell and broke her hip. Despite the odds, she recovered and kept
on going. But everything changed that fateful day in November 2014. Coming up her
basement stairs, she fell, breaking her leg in 3 places. That night, unknown to her, as
the EMTs loaded her into the ambulance, she was saying goodbye to her beloved little
house on Conway Avenue never to return.
Her new home became Broomall Rehabilitation where she was known affectionately as
"Miss Carolyne". Always pleasant to her caregivers, always grateful for anything done
for her, staff and aides loved her. "You're hired" she loved to tell them. But she wasn't
happy there; all she wanted was to go home.
I will always remember her as a devoted and selfless mother who did without to make
the best home she could for us; the mother who sang to me as a baby, comforted me as
a child, advised me as an adult and was my best friend my entire life. She was the
mother who taught me to pray, to put family first, to have compassion toward animals,
who taught me resilience, resourcefulness, self-reliance and determination, qualities for
which she herself was a shining example.
What advice would she leave us with: look nice, try new things, appreciate what you
have no matter how little, make the most of what you have – she certainly did, don't be
discouraged no matter how rough the road. In spite of tragedy, illness, loneliness and
hardship, she kept going, sustained by her deep faith and trust in God. And this would
be her final advice – keep the faith!
Her life was far from easy – the more I reflected on the road she had to travel, the more
I realized what an extraordinary person she was. So Mom, you triumphed over all the
adversities of your life, you fought the good fight, you were a good steward of your
many gifts, gifts that you blessed us with in life and will continue even though you're no
longer with us. You have truly earned your heavenly reward. You are home at last!
I love you, Mom! Rest in Peace!
Your loving and devoted daughter,
Carol
​
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Funeral Services

Viewing

December
20

St. Margaret Church

208 N Narberth Ave, Narberth, PA 19072

9:30 - 10:15 am

Funeral Mass

December
20

St. Margaret Church

208 N Narberth Ave, Narberth, PA 19072

Starts at 10:30 am

Burial

December
20

St. Margaret Church

208 N Narberth Ave, Narberth, PA 19072

Starts at 12:00 pm

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