Bettie Tillitt Cobb

Bettie T. Cobb, age 95, died peacefully on Sunday, August 14th after a long and happy life. She was a beloved mother, cherished grandmother and great-grandmother and loved by her many friends and extended family members. She and her deceased husband John Edward Cobb, Jr (“Jack”) had a loving marriage spanning over half a century. She was born on July 17, 1927 in Andrews, North Carolina, a town in the Smokey Mountains. Her father, Durant Howard Tillitt was a lawyer and member of the North Carolina State Legislature and her mother Rosa Judson Rodgers Tillitt was a teacher and senior school administrator. Bettie graduated Phi Beta Kappa from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where she majored in chemistry. After graduation, she went to work as a chemist at DuPont Company in Wilmington, Delaware where she met Jack, a World War II veteran. They married June 1949 and had three children, Katharine T. Cobb, Patricia G. Cobb and J. Edward Cobb, III. Shortly after she married Jack, he rejoined the Army and she began the life of a military spouse which meant frequent moves to accompany him on his assignments. By the time Jack retired, she had moved with her three children a dozen times, including living in Japan and Germany. Upon Jack’s retirement, they resided in Alexandria, Virginia living in the Villamay subdivision for 32 years, until they moved to Carlyle Towers, Alexandria, Virginia in 2002. Bettie went back to school and obtained her Master’s degree in library science from the University of Maryland, graduating with an A+ average. She worked as a reference librarian at Martha Washington Library in Alexandria until she retired. After retirement, she volunteered for close to 35 years as a docent at the Smithsonian National History Museum providing tours and information to visitors including VIPs. She also worked as a docent at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History information desk. She was forced to halt her volunteer service because of the pandemic lockdown and restrictions but remained eager to return if possible. Bettie’s husband Jack died of A.L.S. (“Lou Gehrig’s disease”) June 2003. Together they had traveled the world both during his military service and his retirement. She continued to travel widely after his death, completing her last trip January 2020. She maintained an active social life including season tickets to the opera, Kennedy center concerts and theater productions and other cultural events. She was an active member of the Carlyle Tower community including participation in a book club, bridge group and the activity committee. She loved to read and play Sudoku. She so enjoyed her life at Carlyle and the friends she made there. She lived there until May this year when she moved to the Landing, a senior living residence in Alexandria. Most of all Bettie loved her family, which included her three children, mentioned above, six grandchildren and a new great grandchild. She was eagerly anticipating the birth of two more great grandchildren. We will miss her terribly. The family will receive friends on Monday, September 19th, 2022 from 5-8 pm at Demaine Funeral Home in Alexandria. The funeral service will be held on Tuesday, September 20th, 2022 at 10:30 am Christ Church in Alexandria where she was a long-time member and burial will follow at 1:00 pm at Arlington National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, if you wish please make a contribution in her memory to the Smithsonian National Museum of American History.