Robert W. Cole, accomplished musician and teacher, dies

Robert W. Cole, an accomplished musician, died on Sunday, June 26, 2022, in his home.

He was born to William Bonaparte Cole and Beatrice Banks Cole.

“Bob,” as he was lovingly known, was an accomplished piano and organ teacher and director of music in schools and churches. He began his life in the small, segregated Humboldt, Tennessee, farming community with an evolving multicultural network of colleagues, friends and family members across five continents. Cole excelled in music performances, community service and relationship-building as he overcame the barriers placed on him as a Black man in America.

He graduated from Tennessee State University with a bachelor’s of music in organ; studied organ and music at Ohio State University; and studied other instruments at Oberlin Conservatory. He earned a master of music education degree from Pennsylvania State University.

For several decades, he taught students in kindergarten through high school. He also served as a choir master at Lafayette Methodist Church, was the guest organist at Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, was an adjunct professor of music education at Trenton State College, and trained students at Westminster Choir College.

Cole served as chair of the board of trustees of the Settlement Music School’s West Philadelphia Branch, chair of the Greater Philadelphia Volunteer Committee of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and manager at the Walnut Street Theater.

During his service in the U.S. Army, Cole served as an assistant chaplain in the Korean War. He was a deacon at the First Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.

A world traveler, during a visit to West Africa he was introduced to Lamin Darboe, whom he later adopted as his son. Darboe, his wife Darcel and their two sons became the greatest joys of his life.

Cole wrote a book, “Tennessee Boy: Life Sketches and Poems,” published in 2016. One passage “characterizes Bob’s way of life,” his family said in a tribute.

“I extend myself to others through my compassionate thoughts and actions. Throughout the day, I behold the Christ in others and send them compassion-filled thoughts and prayers. These heart-to-heart connections enhance any sense of oneness in the world. We are one with God and one with each other.”

He is survived by his adopted son, Lamin Darboe, a daughter-in-law and two grandchildren.

Services will be held on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022, at the First Presbyterian Church of Philadelphia, 201 S. 21st St. (21st and Walnut).

Services will begin at 11 a.m. Burial is private.