Funeral service for Frank Cole, 79, of Columbiana, will be Wednesday, Nov. 5, 2008, at 10 a.m. at First Baptist Church, Columbiana. Family will receive friends one hour prior to the service. Burial will follow at Pinelawn Gardens.
Visitation was Tuesday, Nov. 4, 2008, from 6-8 p.m. at First Baptist Church, Columbiana.
The Rev. Cole, who passed away Sunday, Nov. 2, 2008, at a local hospital, was born on May 24, 1929, in Jefferson County, Tenn. The Rev. Cole was a devoted and loving husband, father and grandfather. He was raised in the Smoky Mountain region of East Tennessee and served his country as a member of the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War. He graduated from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and was ordained as a minister of the Gospel in 1969.
He served as pastor to the congregations and communities of Sledge Baptist Church (Miss.), Kellyton Baptist Church (Ala.), Bay Springs Baptist Church (Ala.) and Mechanicsburg Baptist Chapel (Penn.) until his retirement in 1989.
He was a member of the First Baptist Church of Columbiana. The Rev. Cole’s love for God, warm smile, graciousness and compassionate spirit touched many lives.
He was deeply loved and will be missed.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Eddie and Bessie Cole; sister, Mary S. Nipper; brothers, Herbert Cole and Billy Cole.
He is survived by his wife, Irene Cole; children, Linda (Dale) Lovin, Brenda (Tom) Seale, Sandra Naramore, Grant (Rena) Cole; 10 grandchildren; one brother, E. Stephen Cole; sisters, Betty (Jim) Holt, Faye (Richard) Emmert, Sharon Cole; host of nieces, nephews, cousins and other family and friends.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to either Gideon’s International or First Baptist Church Building Fund, 208 N. Main Street, Columbiana, AL 35051. Bolton-Letlow Funeral Home directed.