Ouachita County Louisiana Archives Obituaries.....COATS, JAMES T. January 24, 2009 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Gina Brown http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00025.html#0006026 January 25, 2009, 4:58 pm News Star World - January 25, 2009 JAMES T. "COACH" JIM COATS Mulhearn Funeral Home Sterlington Road, Monroe, LA Graveside services for Mr. James T. "Coach" Jim Coats, 85, of Monroe, LA will be held at 2:00 PM Monday, January 26, 2009 at Mulhearn Memorial Park Cemetery with Robert Charles Payne and Coach Willie Reagan officiating, under the direction of Mulhearn Funeral Home, Sterlington Road, Monroe James T. "Coach" Jim Coats of Monroe, LA passed away on Saturday, January 24, 2009 after developing metastatic complications of melanoma skin cancer. He is survived by his loving wife of sixty-three years, Ruby Evans Coats; three sons, Tommy Coats of Swartz, Joe Coats of Monroe, and Robert Coats and wife Verna of Newellton; daughter, Mary Coats Brown of Van Buren, AR; granddaughters, Gerri Coats Rankin of Alexandria, Amanda Brown Phillips and husband Jamie of Sherman, TX, Ashley Brown Ellis and husband Lee of Moore, OK; grandson, Joey Hemphill and wife Heather of Georgetown, TX; great granddaughters, Taylar Rankin, Paige Phillips, and Adrianna Hemphill; great grandsons, Hunter, Trystan, and Dawson Hemphill; one sister, Jean Fitzgerald of Shreveport; brother-in-law, Warren Robbins of Phoenix, AZ. He was preceded in death by his parents, Orbin Collins and Tempie Demoss Coats of Delhi; sister, O.C. Robbins of Phoenix, AZ ; daughter-in-law, Debbie (Mrs. Tommy) Coats. His former football, baseball, and hunting "family" will remember him for the many hours of coaching, teaching, hunting, and visits that they shared. He was born on June 21, 1923 in Epps, LA, married Ruby Evans on January 19, 1946, graduated from LA Community College, and then received his Masters Degree from LSU in Baton Rouge, LA. He began coaching at Delhi High School until he moved to Monroe to coach at Neville High School until 1958. He then began teaching and coaching at NLU until his retirement in 1978. He reflected to us that his proudest moments were when he was able to help win state championships in football, tennis, and baseball at Neville High School. He was Baptist by faith and a WWII Veteran. Hobbies that he enjoyed included many years of hunting at Somerset Hunting Club, fishing, cutting firewood, going to the horse races, the "boats" in Vicksburg, and watching hours of football games. Many lives were touched throughout his eighty-five years of life. He and Ruby have enjoyed years of former players, students, and friends coming by their home to visit. Honorary pallbearers will be Larry Reeves, R.F. Wilson, Johnny T. Johnson, Johnny Schmidt, Murray Biedenharn, and Jerry Striplin. Visitation will be from 12:30 PM until 1:45 PM Monday, January 26, 2009 at Mulhearn Memorial Park Mausoleum Chapel, Hwy 80 East, Monroe. Special thanks to friends, Joey Watts, Joan Schjelde, and Perry Price for their thoughtfulness and help. Our family is most appreciative of the cards, calls, food, and visits to check on Dad in his final days. We want to give many thanks to the Patient's Choice Hospice Nurses and Senior Care Sitters for your patience and support in his time of need. To all of you who knew Jim Coats, we welcome you to join our family for Dad's "final play of the game" and as always, please feel free to come as you are. Coffee will be served for family and friends at Lakeshore Baptist Church in the fellowship hall following the service. File at: http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/ouachita/obits/c/coats2944gob.txt This file has been created by a form at http://www.genrecords.org/lafiles/ File size: 4.0 Kb