Roy H. Cole
November 23, 1957 ~ December 6, 2011
Roy Henry Cole, age 54 of Pittsboro died Tuesday at home with his family at his side after a hard fought battle with cancer.
Born Nov 23, 1957 in San Jose Costa Rica to missionary parents: Samuel Eugene Cole and Ethel Modena (Reynolds) Cole.
Roy met the love of his life Roberta Lynn Snyder at Camp Kulaqua in FL where they both worked as counselors and life guards. Â Roy's father Elder Cole married them in Cocoa FL June 22, 1980. Â Their only child, Roy Benjamin Cole was born in Chattanooga TN June 3 1982.
Roy attended Ozark Adventist Academy in AR for high school and then he attended Southern Missionary College in Collegedale TN, receiving his BS in Arts. He worked as a Layout and Design/ Graphic Artist for Classic Chevy Club in Orlando, FL.
Roy graduated from Florida Institute of Technology in 1997 and was hired by IBM in Research Triangle Park in Jan 1998. Â He worked for IBM 13 years until his passing this Dec. Â He loved his job and the people he worked with. Â He continued to work for 3 years after his diagnosis of cancer. Soon after moving to Pittsboro in 1998 he joined the Pittsboro Seventh-day Adventist church where he served in many capacities including head elder, youth director and Sabbath school teacher.
He was preceded in death by: his father Samuel Eugene Cole in May 1997 and his brother-in-law Wayne Hartzog May 2011.
He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Roberta Lynn Cole and their son Roy Benjamin Cole both of Pittsboro, NC; his mother-in-law Betty Snyder of Pittsboro; his mother Ethel Cole-Parobek and step-father John Parobek of Lodi, CA; his sister Anne and husband Harvey Borton of Lodi, CA; his brother Samuel and wife Gayle Cole of Portland, OR; his sister-in-laws Carol and husband Ed Draper of Opelika, AL; Sue Hartzog of Newport TN; Debbie and husband Kevin Lilly of Coram NY and multiple nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Roy's Life will be 5:00 PM Saturday at Pittsboro Seventh-day Adventist Church 637 West Street, Pittsboro.
The family will receive friends following the service in the fellowship hall.
Memorials may be made to UNC Hospice @
www.unchealthcare.org/site/hospice/donations
Bert, Ben, Betty and family of Roy – It has been a long and tough journey these past several months for you but please do count us among those friends that love you dearly and that also feel a deep loss upon Roy’s death.
Roy was a one-of-a-kind fell
Bert, Ben, Betty and family of Roy – It has been a long and tough journey these past several months for you but please do count us among those friends that love you dearly and that also feel a deep loss upon Roy’s death.
Roy was a one-of-a-kind fell
Roy has been such an inspiration to me. I’ve never known him to complain because of his illness, and his upbeat attitude and unfailing faith in God was amazing in light of what he was facing. I don’t believe I’ve ever met a more loving couple than Bert an
Roy was the most Christ-like man that I’ve ever known. I considered him a mentor, a brother in Christ, and most of all…a friend. He taught me a lot and I’m a better man for having known him. He will be greatly missed…but never forgotten. Thankfully we
Roy was the most Christ-like man that I’ve ever known. I considered him a mentor, a brother in Christ, and most of all…a friend. He taught me a lot and I’m a better man for having known him. He will be greatly missed…but never forgotten. Thankfully we
Wanda Goodwyn lit a candle for Roy H. Cole
Roy was such a fine example of what a Christian should be. He seemed to love everyone, didn’t judge anyone, and when faced with confrontation he took it in stride. Roy was an excellent teacher and could preach a great sermon, but to me his best sermon was
Wanda Goodwyn lit a candle for Roy H. Cole
Wanda Goodwyn lit a candle for Roy H. Cole
Wanda Goodwyn lit a candle for Roy H. Cole
Bert, my deepest condolences are extended to you and your family during this time. When your soul is at peace knowing you have done what was right and good in GOD’s eyes-peace is yours. GOD BLESS YOU and Your FAMILY!
I knew Roy as a colleague at IBM. He and I shared a sort of quirky, off alignment kind of humor. He had a good laugh, I enjoyed joking with him, trying to make him laugh. After his cancer diagnosis, he could still laugh. We all found what an exceptional i
Thinking and praying for all of you.
Sara Donaldson
Patrice Baker lit a candle for Roy H. Cole
Roy was an inspiration to us all and will be truly missed. So full of life, always optimistic positive outlook on things, even in the toughest of times and someone who .
Storage Device Engineering Team lit a candle for Roy H. Cole
Roy was an inspiration to us all and will be truly missed. So full of life, always optimistic even in the toughest of times and someone who never looked back. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family.
I never had the opportunity to meet Roy. However it was my privelage to meet Bert and Betty in Hawaii. Bert and I were working together at Trippler Army Medical Center. I know what Bert represents and together they are a witness that we could all learn a
Karen Redling lit a candle for Roy H. Cole
Cyn (dolcinia) from Inspire lit a candle for Roy H. Cole
Andria from Inspire.com lit a candle for Roy H. Cole
Dear Bert and Ben,
I have followied you journey through Inspire and it was so much like mine and unfortunately for us it ended the same way. But their spirits will go on forever and will be with us till we meet them again. I wish you both peace and h
I followed your story for quite a while on Inspire. Such a beautiful love story. My heart and prayers go out to the family in this time of loss. May God comfort you.
Sandi from Inspire (Sandi721)
Dear Bert and Ben,
You have been in my prayers for so long, as was Roy. And now we can rest in the peace of the Lord that Roy in with our Father in Heaven.
Thank you for sharing this very personal journey with me and others at Inspire. We love
I am so sorry for your loss. You and Roy were an inspiration for all of us on Inspire. You and Ben will be in my prayers. Jensen from Inspire
What a beautiful life and love story you shared. You and Ben are in my thoughts and prayers. Cathy from Inspire.
I followed your storey Bert for quite some time.
You and Roy have been an inspiration for so many on Inspire. Roy is at true peace now aand he will never want for anything..ever.
God bless you and be with you,
Darlene.
Dear Roberta and Ben,
My apologies for not making it Roy’s memorial service. I had the pleasure of working with Roy for almost the entire time he has been with IBM, briefly in his department, and later as one of his suppliers. Roy is a kind, easy-go
Thank you everybody for sharing
Thank you to everybody who wrote these sweet messages. It has warmed our hearts to hear what others thought of our precious Roy. It has been 4 months since he passed and we miss him terribly. We hold dear all the wonderful memories that we made together.
Thank you everybody for sharing your thoughts and insights about Roy with us, his family. It warms our hearts to know