FRANKLIN – Jerline Cobb Lankford, 75, passed away peacefully with her family at her side on Monday, August 19, 2013 at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital following a short illness. She was born on May 31, 1938 in Franklin, VA, the eleventh child of the late Willie Anne and Tony Roy Cobb, Sr. Left to cherish her memory are her husband, John Saunders Lankford; daughter, Courtney Whitley and husband Bruce; grandchildren, Brooke and Blake Whitley; sisters, Dorothy C. Kitchen and Gracie C. Foster and husband Frank; brother, Melton R. Cobb and wife Lois; and sister-in-law, Margaret H. Cobb, all of Franklin and a host of nieces and nephews and their families.

Jerline was preceded in death by brothers, J.G. Cobb and wife ClaraBelle, Herman Cobb and wife Marjorie (“Pete”), Shelton Cobb, Tony R. Cobb, Jr., and wife Becky; sisters, Ruth C. Babb and husband Lewis, Edith C. Simmons and husband Gus, and Audrey Christine Cobb; and brother-in-law, Alfred Ben Kitchen.

Jerline graduated from Franklin High School in 1956 and attended Elon College. She retired from Union Camp Corporation after 44 years of service and currently served as the secretary for the Downtown Franklin Association. She was a life-long member of Hunterdale Christian Church, where she served in many capacities over the years, with the choir being her favorite.

The family will receive friends at Wright Funeral Home on Thursday, August 22, from 6-7:30 PM. Funeral services will be held at Hunterdale Christian Church on Friday, August 23, at 2 PM, with Pastor Don Rosie officiating. Interment will follow at Poplar Spring Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to Hunterdale Christian Church – Jerline Lankford Memorial Fund, 741 Hunterdale Road, Franklin, VA 23851. www.wrightfuneralhome.org