Mary Cole

Mrs. Mary Michael “Mike” Upchurch Cole, 80, passed away Friday, February 27, 2026, at Forsyth Medical Center in Winston-Salem, NC, after a brief illness. She was born on July 18, 1945, in Wake County, NC, to the late John Wesley Upchurch and Anna Mary Williams Upchurch.

Mike attended the Raleigh public school system and graduated from Needham Broughton High School in 1963. She worked for the State of North Carolina until 2001 when she moved to Alaska to be close to her grandchildren. Mike and her husband, Dennis, retired to Rural Hall in 2015 where she pursued her love of quilting, knitting, baking, and hosting family get togethers. An avid Carolina Hurricane fan, Mike watched every game over a phone call with her brother, Jack.

In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband, Dennis Lee Cole.

Mike is survived by her daughter, Jennifer Cole Baldwin (Reece) of Anchorage, AK, a brother, John “Jack” Wesley Upchurch, Jr. of Raleigh, NC, and five grandchildren, Clara Baldwin Jorgensen (Alexander), Ethan Baldwin, Olivia Baldwin, and Richie Baldwin of Anchorage, AK, as well as 2Lt Travis Baldwin of Vandenburg AFB, CA.

A celebration of life will be held on July 18, 2027, at the home. For those interested in attending, please email CelebrateMaryMichael@gmail.com.