Cora Seymore
Former longtime Southampton resident Cora Seymore died on August 23 at the Beth Shalom Nursing Home in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Lovingly known to family and friends as “Mama Cora,” she was 103.
Born March 22, 1907, in Currituck, North Carolina, to Darcas and Richard Chatmon, she had two sisters, Arlene and Lilly Jefferson, and five brothers, George, Willard, Royce, Billy and James Chatmon.
She was raised in Currituck where at the age of 18 she met and married her husband Noah “Storm Daddy” Seymore. The couple had seven children: Mattie, Thelma, Lewis, Noah, Marion, Reggie and Dorothy Marie. She and her husband moved to Southampton in 1925 in search of work to support their family. Survivors described her as a good mother who worked hard every day to provide a warm and comfortable home for her family and the best life she possibly could. It was for this reason, they said, that she was surrounded by a loving family all of her life.
Whenever anyone visited “Mama Cora, there was a price to pay, survivors recalled: “You had to eat.” There was always plenty of food for everyone, and her hot buttered rolls were famous in the Seymore household.
When her husband was severely burned in a work accident, she demonstrated her love for him by donating her skin without hesitation for grafting to help him heal. In addition, she visited him at Southampton Hospital as often as she could, knowing that much of his recovery would depend on unconditional love and support. When she could not get a ride to the hospital, she walked all the way from their home on North Sea Road to be with him. Family said that his recovery was due in large measure to the love and support of his wife.
A member of the Community Baptist Church for 74 years, she had a special place in her heart for the pastors and the entire church family. She was a faithful member of the Pastors Aid Board and the Senior Choir. She also served as church mother, missionary, and as president of the Deaconess Board.
She is survived by a son, Lewis Seymore and his wife Christine of Virginia; a daughter, Thelma Malone of Virginia and formerly of Southampton; 18 grandchildren, 43 great-grandchildren; many great-great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews and friends. She was predeceased by all her siblings; two sons, Noah and Reggie Seymore, and three daughters, Mattie Neville, Marion Milken, and Dorothy Marie Seymore, who died as an infant.
Visitation was on August 28 at the Community Baptist Church in Southampton, where a funeral service was officiated by the Reverend Donald E. Butler. Interment followed at Southampton Cemetery. Funeral arrangements were under the direction of Brockett Funeral Home in Southampton.
on Sep 1, 2010