Obituary for Shayne Lee Cobb
ORONO - Shayne D. Cobb, 81, passed away February 7, 2023 from dementia, at home surrounded by family.
Shayne was born in Gardiner May 31, 1941, the daughter of George and Rose (Abelli) Dooling. She graduated from Winthrop High School where she was voted most popular, best dancer and hardest worker. She participated in many activities including cheerleading and student government, acting as campaign manager for the candidate running against her future husband.
Bob Cobb was her soulmate and the love of her life. They married on August 26, 1961, relocated to Massachusetts and had two children, later moving to Veazie and then building a home in Orono where they lived since 1977. “Mrs. Cobb" was a much-loved secretary at Orono High School for over thirty years until 2007, where she is fondly remembered for giving late passes to students who may or may not have deserved them. She volunteered for the Ronald McDonald House, Orono Public Library, EMMC, Race for the Cure, Wreaths Across America, and the Orono is Beautiful committee where she and Bob maintained gardens at town signs.
Her passions included the ocean, her cottage in Surry, UMaine sporting events, antiques, seasonal decorating, patriotism, and lighthouses. In recent years, she and Bob created an anniversary tradition of visiting a Maine lighthouse. Shayne loved cardinals, chocolate donut holes, Tom Brady, Neil Diamond, the color purple, and shopping (Reny’s and The Container Store were favorites). A fan of buying in bulk, she was prepared for anything and often made purchases in multiples of five for her grandchildren. Shayne enjoyed highlighting newspaper articles and printing information she found online for family members. The frequent handwritten notes she shared were often called “Nana’s Rules” or signed “the Safety Police.”
There was nothing that meant more to Shayne than her family. She wrote in Bob’s high school yearbook “you can’t imagine how good you are to me—and for me,” and that remained true until the end of his life. She loved her grandchildren to the moon and back and could not have been a more devoted Nana, whether it was driving to Connecticut to see her son’s children, or going to every event of her daughter’s “three C’s.” She had the best facial expressions and sense of humor, shared her opinion without reservation, and she would often hold people’s hands while conversing, saying her signature line “Be good” before parting.
Surviving are her daughter, Tracy and her husband, Owen, of Orono; son, Casey and his wife, Sheri, of Connecticut; five grandchildren, Chelsea Drew and her husband, Eric, of Orono; Chloe Lewis and her husband, Nate, of Bangor; Caleigh Shayne Paul, of Bangor, Caden and Sedona Cobb, of Connecticut; three great-grandsons, Connor and Charlie Drew and Jack Lewis; brother, Brad Dooling and his wife, Michele; brother, Kelly Dooling and his wife, Ann; special cousin, Carlo Kempton and his wife, Jackie; nieces, Emily and Malerie, nephew, Joel, and grandnieces, Attalie and Sophia. In addition to her parents, Shayne was predeceased by her husband Bob.
The family wishes to thank C.N.A. Josie for her above-and-beyond daily care and compassion, as well as R.N. Chris and St. Joseph’s Hospice.
Services will be private. Donations in Shayne’s memory can be made to dementiasociety.org or to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at bcrf@bcrf.org.
Shayne was born in Gardiner May 31, 1941, the daughter of George and Rose (Abelli) Dooling. She graduated from Winthrop High School where she was voted most popular, best dancer and hardest worker. She participated in many activities including cheerleading and student government, acting as campaign manager for the candidate running against her future husband.
Bob Cobb was her soulmate and the love of her life. They married on August 26, 1961, relocated to Massachusetts and had two children, later moving to Veazie and then building a home in Orono where they lived since 1977. “Mrs. Cobb" was a much-loved secretary at Orono High School for over thirty years until 2007, where she is fondly remembered for giving late passes to students who may or may not have deserved them. She volunteered for the Ronald McDonald House, Orono Public Library, EMMC, Race for the Cure, Wreaths Across America, and the Orono is Beautiful committee where she and Bob maintained gardens at town signs.
Her passions included the ocean, her cottage in Surry, UMaine sporting events, antiques, seasonal decorating, patriotism, and lighthouses. In recent years, she and Bob created an anniversary tradition of visiting a Maine lighthouse. Shayne loved cardinals, chocolate donut holes, Tom Brady, Neil Diamond, the color purple, and shopping (Reny’s and The Container Store were favorites). A fan of buying in bulk, she was prepared for anything and often made purchases in multiples of five for her grandchildren. Shayne enjoyed highlighting newspaper articles and printing information she found online for family members. The frequent handwritten notes she shared were often called “Nana’s Rules” or signed “the Safety Police.”
There was nothing that meant more to Shayne than her family. She wrote in Bob’s high school yearbook “you can’t imagine how good you are to me—and for me,” and that remained true until the end of his life. She loved her grandchildren to the moon and back and could not have been a more devoted Nana, whether it was driving to Connecticut to see her son’s children, or going to every event of her daughter’s “three C’s.” She had the best facial expressions and sense of humor, shared her opinion without reservation, and she would often hold people’s hands while conversing, saying her signature line “Be good” before parting.
Surviving are her daughter, Tracy and her husband, Owen, of Orono; son, Casey and his wife, Sheri, of Connecticut; five grandchildren, Chelsea Drew and her husband, Eric, of Orono; Chloe Lewis and her husband, Nate, of Bangor; Caleigh Shayne Paul, of Bangor, Caden and Sedona Cobb, of Connecticut; three great-grandsons, Connor and Charlie Drew and Jack Lewis; brother, Brad Dooling and his wife, Michele; brother, Kelly Dooling and his wife, Ann; special cousin, Carlo Kempton and his wife, Jackie; nieces, Emily and Malerie, nephew, Joel, and grandnieces, Attalie and Sophia. In addition to her parents, Shayne was predeceased by her husband Bob.
The family wishes to thank C.N.A. Josie for her above-and-beyond daily care and compassion, as well as R.N. Chris and St. Joseph’s Hospice.
Services will be private. Donations in Shayne’s memory can be made to dementiasociety.org or to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation at bcrf@bcrf.org.