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Nancy Cole, owner of Southern Sweets Bakery, passes away

Avondale Estates Decatur Metro ATL

Nancy Cole, owner of Southern Sweets Bakery, passes away

Nancy Cole, owner of Southern Sweets Bakery. Photo by Inga Finch Photography.
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Nancy Cole, owner of Southern Sweets Bakery. Photo by Inga Finch Photography.

Nancy Cole, owner of Southern Sweets Bakery. Photo by Inga Finch Photography.

Nancy Cole, the owner of Southern Sweets Bakery, passed away Friday, July 17.

Southern Sweets Bakery posted this message on its Facebook page Friday:

The Southern Sweets Bakery Family is saddened today as founder Nancy Cole passed away this morning surrounded by loved ones. Her family would like to sincerely thank you for the outpouring support during this time. We would like to invite you to come celebrate Nancy’s life, here at the bakery. We are planning now and will announce a date soon to honor the life of this remarkable woman.

As Decaturish previously reported, Cole had been in hospice care following years of cancer treatment.

Dave Woelber, who does social media and marketing for Southern Sweets, said in a prior interview that Cole had battled breast cancer. She recovered, but cancer cells were found in her liver tissue last year. She received treatment, but continued to deteriorate. Treatment was halted this year, and Cole was brought home where she received constant care.

Cole started the bakery on Rio Circle in 1992. In a 2014 interview with Pallookaville’s Jim Stacy for the PBS program “Get Delicious!” she told Stacy they expanded the bakery in 1998 beyond the wholesale market to accommodate the retail demand from Decatur and Avondale Estates residents. The bakery has continued to sell wholesale to more than 50 cafes and restaurants in the area, including Pallookaville.

Trish Smith, General Manager of Southern Sweets, said in an earlier interview, prior to Cole’s passing, that Cole’s illness had been hard on her family and friends.

“But you know, our main focus is to keep her legacy alive,” Smith said. “Nancy and I had so many discussions about what she dreamed for the future of the bakery and where she always wanted the bakery to go. She wanted to open multiple locations. Our goal is to just keep that dream alive.”

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Dena Mellick

Dena Mellick is the Associate Editor of Decaturish.com.

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