Naneita Leach Cobbs

Naneita was born in Tuscaloosa, Alabama as the only child of Frances Minge Pruitt Leach and Archibald Bruce Leach. During WWII, her father worked as an electrical engineer on battleship design, relocating the family several times. As a result, Naneita attended five different schools in her first five years of elementary school, an experience that surely contributed to her social adeptness and the ease with which she made friends throughout her life. She adored her parents, especially her father whose affectionate nickname for her was “U.C.” for “unconscious” due to her absent-mindedness. In contrast to him, her favorite subject in school was Art. She graduated from Tuscaloosa High School (where she was Homecoming Queen) and the University of Alabama in 1958, where she was president of Kappa Delta sorority and Phi Beta Kappa.

In December of 1959, she was home for Christmas while working in Boston when she was set up on a blind date with Charles Glenn Cobbs from Birmingham. They clicked so well that when Glenn said he needed to head home because of an early hunting trip the next morning, Naneita responded by lying “I love hunting!” and so along she went. They were married in July 1960. They lived in Birmingham, Boston, and New York City until 1967 when Glenn completed his medical fellowship and they finally settled back in Birmingham.

Naneita was a devoted mother to her three boys. Her avocations included painting, running, tennis, golf, and especially in her later years, gardening. She was a force of nature in nature. She drove a 1974 Chevy Impala wagon (the largest ever built), perfect for ferrying kids as well as pine straw, mulch, top soil, and other bulk gardening supplies. She was talented with a paintbrush and also smart, funny, and widely read; despite her seeming absent-mindedness she could dive into any topic of interest with intense focus. She was a member of the Junior League, Colonial Dames, The Little Garden Club, Cadmean Circle, and the Cathedral Church of the Advent.

By all accounts her strongest trait was her kind and sweet-hearted nature. She wove grace and empathy into all of her interactions with others. This built a solid foundation of love and understanding for her three rambunctious boys, just as her parents had done for her. Like her father, she played the “good cop” and let her spouse handle the discipline: she was unvaryingly optimistic, positive, and polite, but never too formal to suppress her wry sense of humor, and capable of demonstrating surprising toughness and confidence when the situation called for it. In short, she preferred to lead by example.

Naneita is survived by her husband of 65 years, Glenn; her sons John (Katherine), Charles (Hardie), and Archie (Margaret); and her grandchildren Parker, Ella, Addie, Landon, Ford, Claude, Virginia, Ivy, and Spencer.

A memorial service will be held at the Cathedral Church of the Advent at 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 26th, with a visitation at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to The Friends of the Birmingham Botanical Gardens, 2612 Lane Park Rd 35223 or bbgardens.org/donate. The family would like to express their love and appreciation to Laura Ruiz for many years of dedicated care and friendship.

Services are under the direction of Ridout's Valley Chapel (205.879.3401) in Homewood.