Morehouse County Louisiana Archives Obituaries.....COATS-WONDRASCH, BARBARA  January 22, 2026
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GINA BROWN http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00025.html#0006026 March 22, 2026, 8:10 am

LEGACY  Jan.  2026
BARBARA COATS-WONDRASCH

Funeral services for Barbara (Bobbie) Coats-Wondrasch, age 96, of Mer Rouge, LA 
and Asheville, NC will be held Saturday, March 7, 2026 at 11 o'clock a.m. at St. 
Andrew's Episcopal Church in Mer Rouge, LA with Fr. Whit Stodghill and Rev. 
Dawnell Stodghill officiating. A reception for friends and family will be held 
following the service at the church Parish Hall. Private family interment to 
follow at Christ Church Cemetery in Bastrop, LA under the direction of Golden 
Funeral Home, Bastrop, LA.

Bobbie was born Dec. 11, 1929, in Newark, New Jersey and died on Jan. 22, 2026, 
in Asheville, NC at 96 years of age.

She came to Louisiana in 1943 and graduated from Metairie High School in New 
Orleans, LA in 1947. Bobbie attended Sophie Newcomb College and LSU Baton Rouge. 
In 1953 she came to Morehouse Parish with her husband, Dr. John M. Coats, IV to 
begin his medical practice in Mer Rouge, LA.

After attaining a Bachelor's and Master's Degree and 30 plus hours in Elementary 
Education from Northeast Louisiana University, she taught school in Morehouse 
Parish and was employed at the Central Office of the Morehouse Parish School 
Board for many years. She was an exemplary teacher, loved and respected by her 
students.

A devoted member of St. Andrew's Episcopal Church, St. Giles Chapel at Deerfield 
Episcopal Retirement Community in Asheville, NC, and Good Shepherd Episcopal 
Church in Chestertown, NY, she served as a Lay Reader and Chalice Bearer at all 
three churches. At St. Andrew's, she served as Sunday School teacher, was 
President of the Episcopal Church Women, was a member of the Altar Guild and was 
the first woman elected to serve on the Vestry.

Active with the Girl Scouts Silver Waters Council, now Girl Scouts of Louisiana, 
she was the Pines to The Gulf Board President for two terms, Chairman of the 
Sustaining Membership Drive for Morehouse Parish from 1985-1989 and was 
instrumental in implementing the Planned Giving Program for the council.

She was a member of Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, Retired Teacher's 
Association, Potpourri Study Club and sang in the Deerfield Chorus.

Her greatest joy was being with her family and friends. She will be remembered 
for her happy outlook on life and her infectious smile.

Bobbie was preceded in death by her husband of 33 years, Dr. John M. Coats, IV, 
her parents, Gerardus and Dorothy E. Fischer van Loon, her brother, Jan Thomas 
van Loon, stepdaughter, Tammy Hochrein, and her grandson, Duncan M. Jones. She 
married Francis (Frank) Wondrasch in 1995, who passed away four days after her 
death.

She is survived by her children, Dr. Shelley Coats Jones and her husband Jerry, 
of Mer Rouge, LA, Dr. John M. Coats V and wife Becky of Mer Rouge, LA, Thomas G. 
Coats and DeAnne Garrelts of Missouri City, TX, and Christopher L. Coats and 
wife Paule` of Baton Rouge, LA.

Stepchildren are Craig Wondrasch and wife Linda of Bluffton, SC, Stacy Schnabl 
of Binghamton, NY, Kara Sander and husband Pete of Schroon Lake, NY and Raymond 
Hochrein and Robin Weldon of New Milford, CT.

Grandchildren are Mary Larkin Jones, Erin Coats Brown (Joey), Triston Coats, 
John Fox Coats (Tori), Catherine Coats, Willem Coats and Dr. Camille Coats 
Willis (Christian).

Step-grandchildren are Blake and Gage (Caitlyn) Wondrasch, Karl (Megan) and 
Brian (Kayla) Schnabl, Matthew, Joseph (Lily) and Nicholas (Keri) Hochrein and 
Peter Sander and Jessica Sander Church (James).

Great-grandchildren are Payton and Ella Brown, Jones Adams, Wren and Fox McRae 
Coats, Harrison, Dean, Roman, and Sullivan Willis.

Step-greatgrandchildren are Quinn Schnabl and Noah Hochrein.

She is also survived by one sister, Emily vanLoon (Thom Wolf) of Takoma Park MD 
and one brother, Rick vanLoon (Sandy) of Bastrop, LA and sister-in-law Susan 
vanLoon of New Orleans, LA. Her nephews are Elliot Wolf (Sara) and Nick Wolf 
(Ruthie), nieces, Lauren Romanauskas (Alex) and Emily vanLoon, great-nephews, 
Henry Wolf and Marc Wolf, Gabriel and Rowan Romanauskas and great-nieces, Grace 
Prince and Annika Romanauskas.

Honorary pallbearers will be grandsons and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Deerfield Residency Fund, 1617 
Hendersonville Rd., Asheville, NC 28803 and St. Andrew's Episcopal Church 
Memorial Fund, P.O. Box 65, Mer Rouge, LA 71261.

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