Paul Cobb, a retired clerk at the post office in Raymond and a former head of recruitment for the U.S. Army in Maine, died Monday. He was 81.
Mr. Cobb was remembered by his family Tuesday as a decorated veteran and a well-respected man who helped shape the lives of hundreds of young men entering the military.
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He was a medic during the Korean War and the Vietnam War, and was awarded the Bronze Star Medal and a Combat Medical Badge.
He finished his career as head of Army recruitment for the state. Mr. Cobb held the post for 12 or 13 years, and retired as a master sergeant after 26 years of service.
Michael Cobb of Gray said his father recruited him and two of his brothers into the Army. He said he served with his father in the Vietnam War.
“It was scary,” his son said. “You feel like you want to protect him, of course.”
He said his father loved his job as a recruiter.
“He got very close to many families of the boys he signed up for the military,” his son said. “He was very proud to bring young men into the Army.”
After his time in the military, Mr. Cobb was a clerk at the post office in Raymond for 15 years.
“He loved the work,” his son said. “He got a chance to talk with everyone.”
He was married to Helen L. Cobb for 58 years. The couple lived in Raymond and, since the mid-1980s, wintered in Kissimmee, Fla.
The Cobbs enjoyed spending time at their family camp on Spring Lake in Stetsontown Township, T3R4. The camp has been in the family since 1962. There, he enjoyed hunting and fishing.
“He was happier there than any other place on the planet,” his son said. “He had so much fun at the camp.”
Mr. Cobb’s sons gathered in Florida with their mother Monday to say goodbye to their father. His sons said Tuesday afternoon that he was a great family man who supported them throughout their lives.
“He will leave a huge hole in my life, being gone,” said his son Paul Cobb of Raymond.
Another son, Thomas Cobb of Raymond, said his father loved his nine grandchildren and one great-granddaughter.
“They were all extremely fond of him,” Thomas Cobb said.
Another son, Donald Cobb of Gray, said he will miss his father’s friendship.
Michael Cobb has wintered in Florida for the past 10 years or so and saw his father a couple times a month.
“I’ll miss being able to talk with him,” Michael Cobb said. “I’ve cried so much over the past three days. My father is on his way back to Maine right now and we’re all sitting here crying.
“My mom has a tremendous core of friends, who have loaded us with food and support. She’s doing OK. She’s got her four boys by her side helping her with every step.”
Staff Writer Melanie Creamer can be contacted at 791-6361 or at: mcreamer@pressherald.com
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