Peg (Schafer) Cobine, born on December 28, 1925, died on January 9, 2023, at age 97. As her soul was forming in this life, Peg kept a good spirit about her, as well as a quiet intelligence, that showed in her religion, her vocation, and her relations.
At an early age, Peg discovered the importance of religion and practiced it throughout her life. On her own initiative, the little girl Peg went to the worship service at a nearby Quaker meeting. Eventually, a certain pastor began taking her by car to his Episcopal church. Later, she began attending a Methodist church to participate in its youth activities, including its summer camps. At one camp, Peg had a profound spiritual experience—which occurred one morning at sunrise after she rowed a boat to the middle of the lake, by herself, for a meditative moment. With her religious faith now set, the next year she wrote and then presented the prayer—expressing thanks for “spiritual and mental inspiration”—at the religious service for her high-school graduation class. In the following years of adulthood, Peg not only preserved her inner spiritual life but also contributed to the outer religious efforts of the Central United Methodist Church.
Fairly early in her life, Peg also found her vocation as a social worker. In high school, she joined the Red Cross organization, which raised funds for the wounded in World War II. After she graduated from high school in 1944, she concentrated her college studies on sociology, starting at Purdue University and eventually graduating with honors from Earlham College in 1949. Then, in the 1950s, she worked for the Public Welfare Department of Wayne County, which served the poor and the ill. After leaving the labor force to rear her three children in the 1960s, she returned in the 1970s and the 1980s as a counselor for Richmond Community Schools. She worked individually with children in elementary schools and then met with their parents or guardians at their homes. After her retirement, in the 1990s and the 2000s, she did volunteer work as a study partner for school children who needed extra assistance.
Peg truly appreciated her friends and her family members. As a girl, she recruited seven friends for her Seven Busy Bees club, some of whose activities got newspaper publicity. Several club members remained her lifelong friends through regular correspondence, even though they lived far apart geographically. Peg was also conscientious about her family. As a daughter, she moved home and managed her dad’s household after her mom’s sudden tragic death. As a sister, Peg more or less reared her two younger brothers. Later, she became an exemplary mom—kind, patient, and attentive—to her three sons. She was also a loyal wife, enjoying the ups of marriage and accepting the downs of marriage. She and her husband, Lew, stayed together for almost 50 years, until his death. In her years as a widow, she then lived compatibly with her adult sons. She made their lives worthwhile, just as she tried to make others in her life feel special.
Peg was preceded in death by her mom, Gladys (Brotherton) Schafer (1898-1948); her dad, Robert Schafer (1898-1959); her husband, Lew Cobine (1924-1997); her brother Bob Schafer (1930-2011); and her brother Bill Schafer (1937-2009). She is survived by her sons, David Cobine, Ron Cobine, and Gary Cobine.
A private memorial service will take place at Stegall-Berheide-Orr Funeral Home. Memorial contributions may be made to Central United Methodist Church or Boys & Girls Clubs of Wayne County. Online condolences may be shared with the family via the guest book at stegallberheideorr.com.