Ila Lea Cose

Ila Lea Cose passed away peacefully on May 12, 2025, at the home of her granddaughter in Carmichael, California, just shy of her 103rd birthday. Her long life was a beautiful testimony to faith, resilience, and unconditional love.

Born in Talmadge, California, Ila spent her early childhood in Ukiah before moving to Broderick at the age of eight following the death of her father, George Stark. She was raised by her mother, Viola Coffer Stark, and was one of six siblings: Leroy, George, Melvin, Aletha, and Daryl. She graduated from Woodland High School, where she met her lifelong best friend Rena Lukins. The two remained close for nearly a century, exchanging birthday calls every year—Rena is now 103.

Ila was the proud and loving mother of four children: the late Michael Corbett, Candace Corbett Winter (76), Karen Cose Abercrombie (68), and Doreen Cose Barton (66). She was first married to Calvin Corbett and later to Wayne Cose, her devoted husband of 59 years.

She wore many titles throughout her life—wife, mother, grandmother, Girl Scout leader, preschool teaching assistant, accounting supervisor—but the one she embodied most deeply was "everybody’s momma." Ila was a soft place to land for so many. With a smile that lit up every room and a signature sashay that made her unforgettable, she carried herself with grace, spunk, and a shoulder shimmy or two.

Ila had a way of making everyone feel seen and supported. She raised not only her own children and grandchildren but helped raise her great-grandchildren and even her neighbors. Her home on Rubicon Way wasn’t just where she lived—it was a gathering place filled with warmth, laughter, and the scent of her home-cooked meals. She and Wayne started with a tiny house and, project by project, built it into a family dream home. Their brother-in-law affectionately called it the “Cose-chester House,” a playful nod to the never-ending projects, like the Winchester Mystery House. They later designed another dream home in the mountains of Pollock Pines—pouring love into every decision. They eventually returned to Rubicon way, leaving their mountain home to help care for family, with a spirit of service and nurturing that never wavered.

A woman of quiet, steadfast faith, Ila was raised Baptist and prayed every night. She lived her beliefs more than she preached them, modeling kindness, humility, and deep trust in God through her actions.

She leaves behind a legacy of love in her family: grandchildren Amy Winter Carr (Jason), John David Winter (Katie), Jeff Barton, Ron Barton (Tina), Cassie Towle (BT), Dean Walsmith, Andrea Abercrombie Rosario (Greg), and the late Chris Abercrombie; great-grandchildren Candice Norman, Hunter Norman, Sydney Carr, Kayla Meece, Cody Barton, Sarah Rodriguez, Kayla Wahlborg, Arteah Rosario, Lucah Rosario, and Kailah Rosario. She was also a proud auntie to Sharon Godwin, who loved Ila like a second mother.

Ila loved bird songs and 1940s music, the color red, Rose of Sharon blooms, and sitting in the comfort of her home. She delighted in swimming and playing baseball in her youth and spent her adult years crafting handmade treasures for her loved ones—beaded ornaments, embroidered wall hangings, and even a hand-sewn Popeye doll.

Preceded in death by her husbands Calvin and Wayne, her son Michael, her grandsons Chris and Jeff, and all of her siblings, Ila leaves behind generations of family who were lucky enough to be wrapped in her love.

In every season of life, through hardship and joy, Ila Cose remained a source of light, strength, and unwavering love. Her life was a gift to us all, and her legacy lives on in the hearts of those she touched.

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