By By Marianne Todd/The Meridian Star
Jan. 8, 2001
Clayton Cobler grew up living with death
At 42, Clayton Cobler is still no stranger to death, having been Lauderdale County deputy medical examiner investigator for 15 years.
It was during his preschool years that Clayton Cobler got his first glimpse of death. His father had been asked to spend the night at the next door funeral home to fill in for its caretakers who were out of town for the evening.
By the time Cobler reached his early teens, death had become as natural as life, he said. A typical day included play around the funeral home, usually with friends who rode bikes in the parking lot, he said.
Dates with Lou, who would later become his wife, centered around death as well.
Cobler said he credits his father for leading him in his career.
It was also his father who taught him compassion, he said.
Kitty Cobler, who has been married to Marl Cobler for 56 years, said the two are as different as they are alike.
Marianne Todd is a staff writer for The Meridian Star. E-mail her at mtodd@themeridianstar.com.
Did you know?
Lauderdale County Coroner Marl Cobler learned his business from his family. His father owned and operated a funeral home in Niagara Falls, N.Y., and his uncle was in the funeral home business, too. Cobler said his first footsteps were taken inside a morgue.