Robert C. Cole, Jr. passed away peacefully in his sleep on August 31, 2026 at the age of 90.
Prior to his retirement in 1999, he worked forty years for BlueCross BlueShield. During the first twenty of those years, he worked his way up from a Group Insurance Salesman to Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Customer Service at Massachusetts BlueCross BlueShield. In 1979 he became President and CEO of BlueCross BlueShield of Delaware, retiring in 1999 after completion of a merger with another BlueCross BlueShield company. During his tenure in Delaware, he pioneered the establishment of the first Health Maintenance Organization in the State, with two health centers: The Healthcare Center at Christiana and The Healthcare Center at Brandywine. Many years later, these medical practices were sold to Christiana Care. He also successfully pioneered in establishing the first international operating BlueCross BlueShield company by starting in Uruguay and the first health insurance company to obtain an operating license in the nation of Taiwan.
For many years, Cole also served on the Board of Directors of the National BlueCross BlueShield Association. In that capacity he was Chair of several of its more involved standing committees where he introduced and successfully implemented the operational and financial required standards for all BlueCross BlueShield companies to be licensed.
He graduated from the University of Massachusetts – Amherst in 1959 with a major in Psychology and a minor in Labor Economics. In 1973, he received an Advanced Management Certificate (MBA core curriculum) from the College of Business Administration at Northeastern University.
He and his wife, Margaret Ann Stockwell, had been married for 70 years. They started dating in high school and were married when both were sophomores in college. He was proud that they both continued their education and obtained their bachelor’s degrees.
He often extolled the pride he had in his three children: Jeffrey D. Cole of Sutton, MA, Deborah J. Harry of Chatham, MA, and Dianne C. Marzec (William) of Virginia Beach, VA, as well as their nine adult grandchildren and their spouses and partners, and three beautiful great-grandchildren.
He served as a member of the Board of Directors of HBCS, a national revenue management company, where he lead its executive compensation committee. He was serving on the Board of Trustees for Wilmington University, where he was a member of its Compensation Committee, and Vice Chair of its Finance, Audit and Investment Committee. He was also serving as President in the Cartmel community where he and his wife have resided since 2015.
Over his career, he has been active in a number of civic and regional organizations including being a director of WHYY, Inc., the public radio and television broadcasting company in the Greater Philadelphia area, a member of the Delaware Business Roundtable, and President of the International Nonsuch Association an international sailboat owner’s association.
A Memorial Service will be held on Saturday, October 10, 2026 at 12:00 PM at Chandler Funeral Home, 2506 Concord Pike, Wilmington, Delaware 19803. A visitation will be held prior to the service from 10:30 AM to 12:00 PM. Interment will be private.
In lieu of flowers, you can honor Bob’s legacy with a donation to WHYY, Inc. or Wilmington University.
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