Mary was a member at Klamath First Baptist where my father pastored back in the late '70s. My grandparents lived miles away in Kentucky, so Mary sort of took me and my brother and sister in as her grandchildren, encouraging us to call her "Granny Cobb". She lived in the Klamath Glen, where my parents lived when they lost everything to the flood of 1964. Mary's husband, Lewis, died years ago after my family moved to White Plains, Ky.

I always enjoyed going to Mary's house and playing with her little black poodle, Felicia. Mary introduced me to the writings of C.S. Lewis and Tolkien, and I fell in love with the adventures in Narnia and Middle Earth.

I kept in touch with "Granny Cobb" for years and got to see her during my visit to California in 2003. She passed away in August 2006. Mary will always have a special place in my heart.