Samuel Cobb, Jr.

Samuel Gatlin (SG) Cobb, Jr. went to be with his Lord Jesus Christ on November 28, 2016 at the age of 94 years and 3 months. He was born on his family ranch in the Cobb Community in SE Haskell County, Texas on August 19th, 1922. He was preceded in death by his parents, Samuel Gatlin (Sam) Cobb and Esta Joiner Cobb, his sisters, Lorene Cobb, Evelyn Gillespie and his wife, Dorothy Cobb. He is survived by his daughter, Linda Keeney Gipson of Lake Kiowa, Texas, her husband, Edward "Hoot" Gipson, a son, Sam D. Cobb and his wife, Rhonda of Hobbs, NM.
He had four grandsons, Stephen Bell and his wife, Julie, Scott Bell and his wife, Angie, Phillip Cobb and Jarred Cobb and six great-grandchildren, Samantha Bell, Sydney Bell, Scott Henson, Josh Henson, Maycie Cobb and Gatlin Cobb.
SG attended the one room Cobb School that was founded by his grandparents and various family members until the 6th grade. He then attended school at Lueders, Texas where he graduated in 1938. SG began his business career soon after graduation by farming and raising livestock until the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941. SG volunteered for the US Naval Air Corp and began fighter pilot training. SG and Dorothy married on January 18, 1943. Soon after the marriage, SG contracted spinal meningitis while in pilot training in Memphis, Tennessee. This disease was sure death in those days so the military offered to give SG a new drug called "Sulfa" as a last resort. The use of sulfa saved his life and he was discharged on medical leave to recover. He and Dorothy returned to the family ranch in Haskell County and he began his recovery. In the latter stages of World War II, the Naval Air Corp re-enlisted SG and he served out the balance of his military duty until the war ended serving in a "CASU" (Carrier Air Service Unit) based in San Diego, CA.
Upon his discharge from military duty, he and Dorothy returned to Haskell County where he and his brother-in-law, JD Gillespie and SG's sister, Evelyn partnered on many business activities which included a wholesale gasoline and butane business and farming and ranching. The drought of the early 1950's required SG to look for other work outside farming and ranching. Although he continued to own and raise cattle, He became the President of the Board of the Federal Land Bank Baylor-Knox National Farm Loan Association based in Seymour, Texas. This organization made real estate loans to farmers and ranchers in north central Texas. He left that employment to become an appraiser and purchase negotiator on behalf of the Texas Highway Department purchasing rural and urban right of ways for the new interstate highway system that was being built.
The opportunity to get back into private business presented itself in 1959 in the form of the "Rich Plan Eastern New Mexico" based in Hobbs, NM. He and Dorothy moved to Hobbs in August of 1959. The original food processing business they purchased has evolved into RMS Foods, Inc. one of the largest employers in Lea County producing products that are distributed throughout North America.
Soon after settling in Hobbs, SG looked for partners to invest with in various real estate ventures in Hobbs. His various partnerships became some of the largest residential and commercial real estate developers in Hobbs and also included holdings in Ruidoso, Albuquerque and Lubbock.
All the while SG and Dorothy were running their businesses they devoted substantial time to the First Baptist Church of Hobbs. SG serving as various Committee Chairs and Chairman of the Deacons numerous times. In addition to their church service, they devoted substantial time to the Lea County and the New Mexico Democratic Party. Both SG and Dorothy served numerous times as State Delegates to the Democratic Party Convention and several times to the National Democratic Party Convention. SG also served as the Chair of the Lea County Democratic Party for two terms. These were the heydays of conservative democratic leadership in the state of New Mexico and Lea County with close friend and three-time Governor Bruce King as the flag bearer for the democratic party.
In SG's later years, he returned to his first love of ranching and raising cattle full time with the assistance of his son, Sam and his wife, Rhonda, operating both the AC Ranch west of Hobbs which SG co-owned with good friend Ben Alexander's heirs and operating the original ranch that he was born on in Haskell County, Texas. SG was also an avid and loyal fan of the Hobbs Eagle Basketball team attending games at every opportunity.

Visitation

Chapel of Hope
3321 N. Dal Paso
Hobbs, NM  88240
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
4:00 pm - 7:00 pm

Smith Funeral Home
304 N. 2nd St.
Haskell, TX  79521
Thursday, December 1, 2016
3:00 pm - 6:00 pm CST

Service

Graveside Service

Willow Cemetery
Haskell, TX
Friday, December 2, 2016
10:00 am CST

Memorial Service

Cornerstone Baptist Church
1600 N. 1st St.
Haskell, TX  79521
Friday, December 2, 2016
11:00 am CST

Memorial Service

First Baptist Church
317 E. Cain
Hobbs, NM  88240
Friday, December 9, 2016
10:00 am

Cemetery

Willow Cemetery
Haskell, TX

Memorial Contributions

NMJC Scholarship Fund
Hobbs, NM  88240

USW Scholarship Fund
Hobbs, NM  88240