Grover Cole

Grover Elwood Cole, 73, of Jackson passed away Thursday, Nov. 26, 2020, at Southeast Hospital in Cape Girardeau.

He was born Dec. 13, 1946, in Sikeston, Missouri, son of Grover A. and Helen Childers Cole. He and Rhonda Hauenschild were married May 26, 1974, at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson.

Grover had been a Civil Air Patrol cadet at Sikeston High School, where he graduated in 1964. He proudly served in the U.S. Air Force from 1964 to 1968. After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base, his stations of duty included England, Japan, Turkey and Vietnam.

In 1968, he went back to school with the help of the GI Bill. He graduated from Southeast Missouri State University in 1972 with a B.S. in Education. In 1975, he started a career with the Division of Family Services, and later served as county director in Reynolds, Carter and Bollinger counties.

He loved playing with the little babies and teasing with his nieces and nephews. He enjoyed going to deer camp, mainly for swapping stories around the campfire; fishing with a good buddy; and “solving the world’s problems” with friends. He was the trivia champ of the household.

He was a member of St. Paul Lutheran Church. He belonged to the Cape Girardeau County Historical Society, where he was serving as its treasurer. Along with his wife, he was a docent at the History Center.

Loving survivors include his wife of 46 years, two children, Timothy Cole of Valrico, Florida and Heather Cole and her son, August Cole of Jackson; seven siblings, Allen Dean (Lois) Cole of Cleveland, Ohio, Eric Scott (Susie) Cole of Turner, Maine, Elaine (the late Curtis) Evans of Sikeston, Norma (Richard) Freed of Scott City, Anita (Don) Kite of Houston, Texas, Cleta Jones of Woodland, California, and Donna (Randy) Runnels of Keller, Texas.

Also surviving are several nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother-in-law, Curtis Evans.

Visitation will be from 10 a.m. until service time Thursday at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Jackson.

Funeral service will follow at noon Thursday at the church. The Rev. Jason Shaw will officiate. Interment will follow in Missouri State Veteran’s Cemetery in Bloomfield, with full military honors.

Memorials may take the form of contributions to St. Paul Lutheran Church, American Lung Association or charity or organization of your choice.

To send an online condolence to the family, visit McCombs Funeral Home website at www.mccombsfuneralhome.com, then click on the “Tribute Wall” tab of Grover’s personal obituary.