Mary Ann “Mimi” Cole, a resident of Chestnut Hill, died just days after her 98th birthday on Thursday, August 27.
If you asked Mimi Cole about her greatest accomplishments, she would immediately point to her nine children: Caroline, Cynthia, Christopher, Clement, Carleton, Charlotte, Clifford, Curtis, and Suzanne.
Beyond raising a large brood, she maintained a lifelong interest in gardening, the Bible, music, and creative writing.
Mary Ann (Muth) Cole was born in the Frankford section of Philadelphia on August 20, 1928, to Russell and Mary (Simon) Muth. She attended Frankford Friends School, Abington Friends School, and the Ogontz School for Young Ladies.
At Wellesley College she joined the Guild of Carillonneurs and played the instrument in the Galen Stone Tower nearly daily. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Wellesley College in 1950.
She married Taylor Whitney Cole following graduation. While her husband attended Columbia University's Teachers College (New York), she taught kindergarten at the Birch Wathen School. The couple then settled in Los Angeles after Taylor was hired to teach mathematics at then Harvard School (now Harvard-Westlake) in North Hollywood. Eight of the couple's nine children were born in Burbank, California.
While living in California, she was an active member of St. Martin-in-the-Fields (Episcopal) Church and led a Girls Friendly Society troop. She was also active in the Wellesley Club of Los Angeles.
The family moved to suburban Philadelphia in 1967 when Taylor began teaching at the Episcopal Academy in Merion. Mimi pursued her interest in writing, including editing a collection of letters by her kindergarten teacher, Helen Mount Anderson, who was a Christian missionary in China.
Music was an important part of her life. She enjoyed sharing music with her children, and taught each to read music and play the piano. Her encouragement paid off, as music is a vital aspect of her adult children’s lives as well.
After Taylor retired from teaching in 1987, the couple lived in Houston, Texas; Nashua, New Hampshire; Windham, New Hampshire; and Chelmsford, Massachusetts. In each location, they were active members of a local church, including most recently the North Chelmsford Congregational Church.
Taylor and Mimi returned to Philadelphia in 2009. Taylor died in 2015, shortly before the couple celebrated their 66th anniversary.
While a resident of The Terrace at Chestnut Hill, Mimi and her friend, Pastor Lola Blount, founded a Christian motivational support group called Hope & Cope. The group started in 2018 with a handful of participants and now serves over 35 residents each month.
Mimi was predeceased by her sister, Charlotte, and brother, Russell. In addition to her friend Lola and her nine children, she leaves her sister, Nancy Clements of Devon, 13 grandchildren — Rosalyn, Luis, Samuel, Devlin, Emily, Whitney, Taylor, Kayla, Leah, Matthew, Warren, Margaret, and Zoe — and eight great-grandchildren — Noah, Emma, Olivia, Claire, John David, Cora, Dean, and Marcus.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Hope & Cope through Eagles Wings Ministries, PO BOX 9847, Philadelphia, PA 19140-0847 (designate the donation to “Hope & Cope” www.eagleswingsministries.org/donate.
