Allison Cobb has enjoyed a fascinating, multi-faceted life, and exhibits a contentment with herself today.

Allison was born June 2, 1976, in Valdosta, Georgia, to Melanye (Narcarti) and Steve Cobb and where her father was in college at Valdosta State at the time. During her birth, Allison was breech and delivered by C-section. Her leg was broken in the process, and she came home from the hospital in a leg cast. Then, when she was two years old, she nearly died from salmonella poisoning, with her survival touch and go for about five weeks while in the hospital, part of that in ICU. Her younger sister, Michelle, was only three to four months old at the time and had to stay with grandparents while their mom stayed with Allison at the hospital.

Allison has always been close to her sister, Michelle, born two years and three days after Allison. In their younger years, they lived for a short time in Batesville, Mississippi; a couple of years in Glennville where Allison attended Glennville Christian Academy; a year in Fort Meyers, Florida; and then about four years in Marathon, Florida, before returning to Glennville when Allison was in fifth grade.

“Our years in Marathon, Florida, were definitely unique. While living in a duplex, my parents sold nearly all that they had at the time and bought a sailboat that we nicknamed The Ark. It had a small bedroom in the bow of the boat, for me and Michelle, and another for my mom and dad,” she said. “And then there was the galley (kitchen), eating/living area, and the deck where we spent a lot of our time.”

With her dad’s background in construction and fiberglass, Steve spent a lot of time working on The Ark, which required some extensive repairs. The majority of the time, the boat was on land, and Allison and Michelle enjoyed playing around the boatyard/marina after school. Other times, it would be moored at Boot Key Harbor nearby, and the girls would enjoy swimming off of the boat and rowing over to visit neighboring families. Their method of transportation around Marathon was bicycle, and they all enjoyed the casual laid-back island life.

“I still like to bicycle today, and those were adventurous times for us two girls, but I am sure the drudgery of carrying laundry to the office and using their shower on the island was challenging for my mom at times,” said Allison, who credits her happy-go-lucky spirit today formed in her early childhood years.

“We moved back to Glennville when I was in the fifth grade, and it was nice to be near our grandparents, Joy and Elliott Cobb (in Cordele, GA) and Anne and John Narcarti (in Glennville),” said Allison; all four are now deceased.  John married again after Anne’s death from cancer, and his widow, Barbara, still lives in Glennville.

Joy retired from a civil service career at Ft. Stewart, and Elliott retired from the Department of Transportation (DOT).

John was always business-oriented, and he and Anne operated the Hen House with the Dubberlys at one time, had a supper club in Glennville, and another chicken restaurant named Big Red in Reidsville.  He also operated Elm Tree Trailer Park for many years.

After returning to Glennville and after the divorce of her parents, the grandparents helped them get back on their feet. Melanye graduated from South College in Savannah with her Medical Assisting degree, and worked for a doctor’s office in Savannah for a few years, before returning to college at Georgia Southern University (GSU), earning her Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood Education. She taught kindergarten and first grade at Claxton Elementary for several years.

Allison’s dad, Steve, is semi retired but still installs cabinets and often comes to the aid of his daughters for renovations at their homes in Glennville. Steve has remarried;  his wife, Sylvia, has a son from a previous marriage, David, age 48. They live in Cordele.

Allison worked during her senior year of high school at The Glennville Sentinel and became a valuable staff member. She could do anything: write, take photos, and was artistic in the design of the pages. She worked at the Glennville newspaper office from 1993 to June of 2000, although she had attended GSU for a short time after high school. She was the valedictorian of the first graduating class of Tattnall County High School (TCHS) in 1994.

She left the Sentinel and became editor of The Tattnall Journal and later The Journal Sentinel for its first few years. She decided to fully retire in 2020, and welcomed the respite since it came with no pressing newspaper deadlines or alarm clocks.  Breast cancer surgery in 2011 also left the realization that we never know the allotted time given to us on this earth.  Although she is fully recovered, she placed a lot of her commitments on a back burner to live more fully.

Allison stays busy with many hobbies and projects, and her extensive collection of LEGO houses she has built include quite a few Christmas themed houses with lights installed in them.

“I bought my first one when the Lions Club was having a fundraiser for a children’s hospital. I ordered ten sets of LEGOS from Amazon, to donate, and I became hooked,” said Allison, with most of her LEGO collection very elaborate and detailed.

She also is a talented photographer, but she has laid this profession to the side for now, realizing that the commitment for events and weddings often do not mix well with travel plans, camping weekends, or her many projects. Her cameras are mainly used to document her travels these days.

“I go through phases of different interests and am very thankful for my supportive partner in life, Jim Wimmer, who is quite understanding of my varied hobbies,” said Allison. “He takes care of everything so I don’t have to worry about too much. We always say we are both lucky!”

Jim served in the Army for several years, so he is quite self-sufficient and routine oriented, unlike Allison who bounces around from one idea to another, always juggling projects or plans.

But traveling is something they both look forward to. Allison and Jim love their annual trip to New Buffalo, Michigan, each summer, where Jim spent his childhood summers along the lake while visiting his grandparents. They’ve also taken road trips out west, cruises to various locations, and spent a week in Bermuda last year. Together they’ve enjoyed a variety of concerts, many times seeing Allison’s favorite, Paul McCartney, perform. And they attend several hockey games throughout the season to cheer on the Savannah Ghost Pirates.

Both of their moms live next door, with Allison’s mom at the end of her driveway and Jim’s mom, Arlene, right across the street. Their dog, Sandy, is dedicated to her role as “guard dog” for the compound!

While Allison never had children of her own (by choice), she likes spending time with Jim’s son, Alec, and his wife, Madison, who live in Houston, Texas.

Allison also enjoys many different trips with Sisters on the Fly, voted Best Women’s Travel Club by Newsweek Magazine. There are always camping trips in the works, events for luncheons and shopping, and even international trips. This past August, Allison went with a group of Sisters to Kenya and Tanzania, where she photographed animals during the safari excursions. Two years ago, she went with the girls to Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. She is always ready for a new adventure whether on land or over water!

Allison is actually hosting a Sisters on the Fly event December 13-15, 2024, at Wild Adventures in Valdosta, which has just added a new campground.  She has hosted several Sister events, including a weekend at the G&R Farms rustic cabin in Long County and an exciting St. Patrick’s Day weekend in Savannah.

With her writing and computer skills, Allison has created several travel books for herself and one local book filled with pictures from the Gemini Man movie filmed in Glennville in 2018.  She loves to document and is meticulous in her writing. She is always willing to give back to her community, and her Facebook page continuously promotes and supports community happenings.

Allison opened her home and several RVs this past week for the Glennville Garden Club Christmas Tour of Homes, and several photos in this week’s edition of The Journal Sentinel reflect her vitality, creativity, and exuberance for projects. She enjoys decorating, and the Christmas season has always been one of her favorite times of the year. As children, she recalls she and her sister waking up on Christmas morning with a pile of presents for them provided by their “Santa” parents.

Even though she likes to stay on the go, she also enjoys cooking, and she credits Jim as an excellent cook in the kitchen, even sharing many tips with her early in their relationship. Allison’s favorite kitchen gadget is her Instant Pot, and she enjoys finding new and different recipes, simply fitting to her bubbly and upbeat personality.  She likes to cook for a crowd, too, and her family and Jim’s family look forward to those feasts.

Allison Cobb’s Recipes

LOW CARB MEATLOAF

• 1 to 2 lbs. lean ground beef
• 1 large egg, room temp.
• 1/4 cup sugar-free ketchup
• 1/4 cup mustard
• 1/2 small onion, diced
• 1/2 small zucchini, shredded
• 1/2 cup keto breadcrumbs (or ground pork rinds)
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

    Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, blend all ingredients. Press meatloaf mixture into a loaf pan or small casserole dish. Bake for one hour.

CHEESE PIE

• 8 oz. Velveeta cheese
• 4 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1-1/2 sticks butter
• 2 cups sugar
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 2 Pet-Ritz regular pie crusts, thawed

Cube butter and cheese and melt together over low heat, stirring often. Remove from stove and add sugar, vanilla, and salt. Stir in eggs. Stir all ingredients by hand, using a whisk, not a blender. Use a fork to poke holes into the thawed pie crusts, and bake (crusts only) for about 3 to 5 minutes. Remove from oven and divide the mixture into the two pie crusts. Bake at 350-degrees F. for 30 to 35 minutes. Take out and let cool to firm. Refrigerate and serve cold for best results.