Obituary of Freda Mae Cole

Freda Mae Cole (Stump) 2/13/1926 – 4/27/2021 Freda was born in Roanoke IN to Fred and Olive Stump, and was the second oldest of six siblings, Luciel (Charles Wisel), Lou Rayne (Don Scheiber), Dave (Mary Stump), Shirley (Tom Smith), Sharon (Bill Young/Vincent Purcaro) and Jerry (Marjorie Stump). Freda graduated as valedictorian from Roanoke High School and went on to graduate from St Joseph Hospital School of Nursing in Fort Wayne IN. She was first married to Jack Walton in 1950 and had two daughters Marcy (Larry Miller) and Deborah “Debbie” (Ed Morken). In 1952, Jack died in a construction accident. Then on 11/21/1953 Freda married Gail R. Cole and they had one daughter Elizabeth “Libby” (Tom Taylor) and two sons, Gail R. II “Coley” (Jackie Cole) and Ralph (Beth Cole). Freda and Gail lived in Fort Wayne for 18 years, then along with Ralph, moved to Lake Park Florida in 1977. They moved to Bradenton Beach in 1978 and have resided in their present home for 42 years. Freda and Gail have 14 grandchildren; Marcy’s Amanda and Katy; Debbie’s Elizabeth, Eddie, Joe, and Erin; Libby’s Christine and Cole; Coley’s Angela, Emily, and James; and Ralph’s Dustin, Pat, and Terra. There are 13 great grandchildren. Freda loved her nursing career, especially taking care of the sick and elderly. She worked as a RN at St Joseph Hospital (Ft Wayne) for 15 years and as a Charge Nurse at Blake Medical Center (Bradenton) for 22 years. Freda enjoyed many hobbies throughout her life such as cooking, sewing, knitting, gardening, playing board games especially Scrabble, walking the beach, and watching sports. She was an avid Tampa Rays fan but loved to watch her grandchildren play sports even more. She enjoyed fishing with the family and according to Gail, Freda always caught the biggest fish whenever they fished together. Freda was loved by all and will be missed by many. Freda is survived by her husband Gail, daughters Debbie Morken, Libby Taylor, and sons Coley and Ralph. Freda was preceded in death by her parents, sisters Ceil and Lou Rayne, brother Dave, and daughter Marcy. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be sent to either The American Cancer Society or The Boomer Esiason Foundation. A memorial service for Freda will be at St Bernard’s Catholic Church in Holmes Beach FL on Saturday June 26th at 2 pm. A life celebration will be held afterwards at The Nest at Robinson Preserve.