BIOGRAPHY

Peggy Cobb was born in Lynd Township, Lyon County, Minnesota, USA, on 23 May 1915. Her parents were Frederick Vanstrom, who worked as a cashier at a local bank, and Anna Vanstrom, a homemaker. She was one of six children. She earned a degree in art education from St. Cloud Teachers College, now St. Cloud State University. Her first position was in Edina, Minnesota, where she taught and served as the art supervisor.

On 31 December 1943, she married Jacob Ernest “Jake” Cobb (1910–2002), a native of North Carolina, in Hennepin County, Minnesota. The couple had at least three children: Katie, Peter, and Bill. Following World War II, Peggy taught art at Ward-Belmont College for women in Nashville, Tennessee. She later earned a master’s degree in art from Indiana State University in 1962.

After her husband’s death on 23 January 2002, in Morganton, North Carolina, she relocated to the Sandy Springs area.

With the encouragement of her family, she published her first book, A Bat Named Belinda, in 2006. The inspiration for the story came from her experience raising a daughter with disabilities during the 1950s. When her daughter Katie was born, doctors told the family she would never walk, talk, or even stand. While Katie was never fully self-sufficient, she defied expectations by learning to do many things, including riding a bike and swimming.

In March 2023, at the age of 107, she published another book, Painter Pan: The Rainbow Man, which she both wrote and illustrated. A children’s book, it tells the story of a charismatic, elfin character who helps a young girl dissatisfied with the picture she is painting, according to its Amazon listing.

RECOGNITION

Her age has not been validated.

ATTRIBUTION

* Blanche E “Peggy” Vanstrom Cobb – FindAGrave

* “Former teacher turned author publishing new book at 108 years old” – Rough Draft Atlanta, 23 May 2023

* “Georgia woman celebrates publication of children’s book on 108th birthday” – Boston 25 News, 25 May 2023

* “A Georgia woman is celebrating her 110th birthday; her secret to living long is to ‘be flexible’” – 11Alive, 23 May 2025

GALLERY