Obituary: Mary Ann Cogle, 84, of Ludington

Mary Ann Cogle

Obituary: Mary Ann Cogle, 84, of Ludington

Mary Ann (Bradshaw) Cogle entered her forever home and into the arms of her Lord and Savior on Sunday, March 3, 2024, surrounded by her family.

Mary Ann was born to H. Alvin and B. Lucile Bradshaw on February 23, 1940, in Ludington. She was born a farm girl and helped on the family farm milking cows and driving a tractor. She attended Marchido School, a one-room schoolhouse in Pere Marquette Township, and graduated from Ludington High School in 1957.

Mary Ann worked at Ludington State Bank as a teller and it was there that she met Clayton, her prince charming, who was always dressed to impress when he would come in to make deposits from The Toggery. They were married on June 4, 1960, and would have celebrated 64 years of marriage this year. She was a wonderful mother to four children whom she loved with all her heart.

After leaving the bank, Mary Ann was a homemaker. In 1967 she and Clayton bought a fruit farm south of town where they would spend 48 years farming side by side and raising a family. Many hours were spent in the orchards and inside the kitchen where she would can fruit, jams, and bake. Mary Ann was known for her canned peaches, strawberry jam, and peach pies. No one could make a peach pie like her! She was a sewer, making costumes for Halloween, clothing for her kids, and blankets for new babies. In her later years she started to do hand embroidery and her favorite things to embroider were baby blankets. She made numerous blankets and ensured each granddaughter had one as a keepsake. She loved gardening and had the most beautiful flower gardens surrounding her home.

Mary Ann was not one to sit around (unless it was around her pool on a hot, Sunday) and liked to keep busy. Along with the farm, Mary Ann also received her childcare license and operated a daycare inside her home where she cared for numerous children throughout the years. She loved children. After her daycare days were through, she and Clayton worked for
Sherman Oaks and Lawndale where they painted and cleaned apartments and hallways.

She was a member of Cornerstone Baptist Church (formerly Washington Avenue Baptist Church) and loved Jesus. She taught Sunday School and Children’s Church for decades and directed numerous Christmas programs. She had a servant’s heart and was always willing to serve others.

Mary Ann is survived by her husband, Clayton; children Kimberly Cogle, Kevin Cogle, Kristen (David) Carlson, and Jennifer (Jeffery) Dashner; grandchildren Jonathan Alexander, Madison and Clayton Cogle, Kayela (Andrew) Yankee, Kelsey and Kamryn Wallace, Marisa and Isabel Dashner; and her great-grandchildren Noah, Ezra, Clara, and Lydia Yankee; sisters and brother, and numerous nieces and nephews.

She was preceded in death by her parents H. Alvin and B. Lucile Bradshaw and sister Delores Schmidt.

The memorial service for Mary Ann will be held on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, at Cornerstone Baptist Church, 121 Nelson Road in Ludington, at 1 p.m. Visitation will be before the service beginning at 11 a.m. Instead of flowers, please consider donating to the Cornerstone children’s ministry which Mary Ann loved so much.

Arrangements were entrusted to Oak Grove Funeral Home of Ludington, www.OakGroveLudington.com.