Martha “Marty” McCully Cobbs died on Tuesday, May 17 at Greenwich Hospital after a brief illness. Mrs. Cobbs was born October 20, 1929, in Erie, PA, and moved to Greenwich as a child with her parents Harry Osborn McCully and Elizabeth Milne McCully. She attended Greenwich Academy and graduated from the Walnut Hill School and Vassar College in 1951 with a BA. She was a runner up in the Vogue Essay contest and began her professional career there as a merchandising copywriter. Later she studied archeology at Norwalk Community College and subsequently conducted professional excavations in New York and Connecticut.
Her volunteer work included President, Greenwich Vassar Club; Chair, Vassar Club’s Greenwich Decorator’s Showhouse Benefit; Board Member and Vice President Greenwich Hospital Auxiliary; Chair, Greenwich Youth Center in Harlem; and Lower School Secretary, Greenwich Country Day School. She was a longtime member of the NAACP and Greenwich YWCA, and in her role as YWCA President promoted the elimination of racism. She was married to James Ware Cobbs for 65 years until his death in 2017. Mrs. Cobbs devoured the NY Times crossword puzzle everyday and was an avid sailor and racquet player at the Belle Haven Club.
She is survived by her children Elizabeth (Philip Green) of Arlington VA, James (Jill Stauffer Cobbs) of Greenwich and Martha (Dennis Sullivan) of Eaton NH; grandchildren Joshua Green, (Aisha Alfa) Justin Green (Kelty Luber) and Alexandra Green (Brian Barnette); Lucy and Henry Cobbs; Henney and Nicholas Sullivan; and seven great-grandchildren (Sule and Saida Alfa-Green; Wilder and Inigo Green; Oliver, Eliza and Colby Barnette). She is also survived by her sisters-in-law Betty Cobbs Brown of Greenwich and Helen McCully Dixon (Bruce) of Stamford. Her brother Arthur (Sandy) M. McCully died in 1995.
The family plans a private memorial service in New Hampshire in the summer. In lieu of flowers, donations to Planned Parenthood would be welcomed.
