Vanessa Evette Marie (Towns) Cole

Vanessa Cole, born Vanessa Evette Marie Towns in Atlanta, Georgia on July 23, 1961, to William Crawford Towns and Eva Ann Born, passed away peacefully on the morning of January 8, 2025, at Sacred Ground Hospice House. She is survived by her three sons, Michael Calva (Katie), James Folden (Christina), and William Folden, along with her husband, Edward Cole. She adored her four grandchildren, Jamison (9) and Libby (7) Folden, and Emma (5) and Grace (3) Calva.

Vanessa attended the Georgia State University School of Nursing and earned her Registered Nurse status upon graduating. She worked in Atlanta before marrying in 1985 and moving to northern Kentucky. Every single day, she would cross the river into Cincinnati, providing care for her many patients. Shortly after her first son, Michael, was born in 1987, she moved to Knoxville, Tennessee. She continued her nursing career, remarried, and welcomed her sons James Folden (1990) and William Folden (1991).

She continued to work as a nurse into 1993, when she married Johnny Baker. Although Vanessa had no other children, she and Johnny raised Michael, James, and William together for over eight years, and although they ultimately returned to live with their fathers and Vanessa married Edward Cole, the brothers will never forget those years they spent together.

Her sons would like their mother to be remembered as a music enthusiast, animal lover, patriot, and a great listener who always made time to hear what others had to say. Some of her favorite bands included The Beatles and The Who, and one of her favorite songs of all time was “The Way” by Fastball. Vanessa always had pets in the home, but her favorites were her parakeets—even if they were a tad too noisy.

Vanessa always displayed her patriotism throughout her home—she had a wooden “Home Sweet Home” decoration near the front door of her apartment that she adorned with red, white, and blue fabric cutouts, along with a horse figurine sporting a patriotic top hat. Her son, James, who later spent years in the U.S. Army fighting for his country, remembers when the song “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American)” was released by Toby Keith. His mother caught him singing the lyrics, and although she chastised him for swearing, she couldn’t help but laugh along with the message of the song.

No matter what was on their minds, all three of her sons could reach out to Vanessa at any time of the day, and she would always make time to hear what they had to say and offer her advice. Not only did she have wisdom beyond her years, but the care she exhibited for her patients was but a small portion of the compassion and empathy she had for her sons. Countless times, Michael would call late at night to offload work and life stress, relying on his mother’s keen wit and charisma to get him through the toughest of times. William, who was a burgeoning musician, would often play his melodies for his mom, looking for her insight to let him know how far he had come since the last time they’d spoken.

Needless to say, Vanessa was not just a mother—she was a best friend. She will be deeply missed, but there is peace in the knowledge that heaven has gained a guardian angel.

Vanessa's obituary was submitted by her loving family.

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