Nell Cook Pappas, a native of Montrose, Georgia, a longtime resident of Mobile, and a resident of Spanish Fort for the past 14 years, passed away Saturday, July 29, 2023, at over 100 years old.
She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Earle William Pappas, her parents Arthur and Kate Cook, and one sister, Doris Veal Carnes. She leaves to cherish her memory her son, William "Billy" (Margaret) Pappas and two grandchildren, Katherine "Katie" Pappas and William "Will" Pappas.
She was a 1939 graduate of Montrose High School. After attending Middle Georgia College she taught at the Smith School. During World War 2 she worked at the fuse plant at the US Army's Camp Wheeler near Macon, Georgia. There she met her future husband Earle during a weekend excursion. After the War ended they were married in 1946 in Atlanta, after which they made their home in Mobile, where they were long standing members of Wesley Chapel Methodist Church. Nell worked at Brookley Field until its closure in the 1960s and continued her career with the federal government assigned to the US Navy at Ingalls Shipyard until her retirement.
Nell and Earle fully embraced travel, taking long trips in their motorhome as well as making frequent trips to New Orlean's due to their mutual love of good food. After Earle's passing she continued to travel with friends and family. Nell was a voracious reader, with Earle building bookshelves in every room in the house to store the thousands of books that she read. She could recall books by title and author, providing character names with plot details, years after having read them. Nell was an incredible cook who loved to entertain family and friends; she took great advantage cooking with the bounty of the Gulf of Mexico and Mobile Bay, serving huge portions to her guests. An avid fan of SEC football, she loved spending Saturdays in the fall with family, eating and watching games. Though she was a Georgia native, she was pure Alabama on game day; she would pull for Auburn and UGA if they were not playing the Tide.
October 22, 1922 — July 29, 2023
Following a private burial service, a celebration of her 100 years will be held at Westminster Village in Spanish Fort on Saturday, August 19th at 10:30 a.m.
