Becky Cobler and her late husband Ty met in high school when they were just fifteen years old. They were high school sweethearts and dated their senior year. Ty attended community college in Texas, and Becky went to Oklahoma Christian. They got married in 1977 and were married for almost 43 years.
In 1994, Ty worked for Wal-Mart and travelled around the country opening distribution centers. Helping open Wal-Mart D.C. here is how Ty and his family discovered and fell in love with Statesboro. Becky said, “When we got tired of moving, Ty accepted a logistics position in Savannah and in 2001, we moved back to Statesboro and have been here ever since.”
Love of Outdoors
“Ty enjoyed all things outdoors and he always wanted to be his own boss,” stated Becky. She continued, “He had thought about opening an outdoor store for several years. In 2009 a few businesses that sold outdoor products closed. We had the opportunity to purchase their inventory. A few months later, we opened TC Outdoors in 2010.”
His family has continued to own and operate TC Outdoors where still today you can find anything you need for the outdoor enthusiast. They stock hunting supplies, including apparel, gear, scopes, shotguns and rifles, knives, stands and gun safes. TC Outdoors also has a wide variety of reels, rods, fishing tackle, fishing supplies and live bait.
A family business
It is important to Becky that TC Outdoors remains a family owned and operated business. Together, Ty and Becky have two daughters, Jennifer and Shelly. Jennifer is married to Kelly Waters, and they have a son, Jayce, who is 12 years old. Shelly is married to Kyle Lawson, and they have a little girl, Kaylee, who is 2 years old.
Becky stated that, “Jayce is starting to do some things around the store like running the cash register every now and then, and some chores. Kaylee enjoys picking out a new thing each time she is at the store. Sometimes she will have a bucket of minnows, or a bag of worms and she will walk around the store with her thing and show it to customers when they stop in.”
Jennifer said, “My dad tried to hold on as long as he could so he could meet Kaylee.”
Ty had been battling cancer and passed away peacefully at the age of 62, in February of 2020. “He never got to meet Kaylee,” Jennifer said lovingly, “but, we know that he is in heaven watching over her and all of us now.”
Statesboro Police Foundation
I asked Becky what motivated her husband. She replied, “He was a very spiritual man. God kept him going. He was raised going to the Church of Christ, but together, we switched to Compassion Christian.”
Becky said, “Ty lived his life to the fullest. He loved hunting, fishing, riding his motorcycle, spending time with his family and his grandson.”
Ty also had a soft spot in his heart for police officers. He was instrumental in founding the Statesboro Police Officers Foundation and was one of their most enthusiastic leaders. In May of 2021, the Statesboro Police Officers Foundation awarded it’s first round of Ty Cobler Memorial Scholarships to four young adults with parents employed by the department. The scholarship program is just one of the many activities that the foundation now supports.
Jeff Klare, a close friend of Ty Cobler and stepped up to lead the effort after Ty’s passing, has been quoted in a previous article on Grice Connect, “It was something I really wanted to see happen because it was important to him. It is fitting that the scholarship is named after Ty. Not only for what he did for the police foundation but for the community.”
Ty loved his family and Wal-Mart
Becky and Jennifer shared a funny story about Ty. Becky said, “When Jennifer was in high school, he was big into Wal-Mart. He set an alarm to pick her up from school.” Jennifer finished the story, “He went to Wal-Mart on a busy move-in day, and he was excited that he was able to park in the front row. Later, after he had been there for an extended period of time, he realized that he forgot to pick me up.” Jennifer continued, “I never let him live that one down.”
Becky stated, “Ty loved his girls.” She continued, “He was always the mediator between me and the girls. He would talk softly to them and was able to calm them down when they were rowdy. He also loved to listen to music with Jennifer and Shelly. They all enjoyed talking with each other about music together."
I asked Jennifer what was one thing that she will always remember her dad saying. She replied, “he always told us to have high goals and expectations. Now I catch myself saying the same thing and I remember dad every time I say it.”
Ty's legacy continues
Ty Cobler might not be here with us in the physical sense any longer, but he created a wonderful legacy with his wife Becky. You can see reminders of Ty through his two beautiful daughters and even more so in his grandchildren. When friends and family want to remember Ty or when they get to missing him, all you need to do is take a step inside TC Outdoors, and you will see reminders of him everywhere you look.
Thank you to Becky, Jennifer, and Shelly for sharing about Ty. He was a kindhearted man who is still making an incredible impact through his legacy in the community of Statesboro.
