Furr obituaries, Tangipahoa Parish, Louisiana 

************************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
************************************************

Name, date of obit, date submitted, submitted for the USGenWeb archives by:

Furr, Gerald Page (Coach)    24 Nov 2007    Nov 2007    Jerry Nelson

***************************************************************************

Obituary published in The Advocate (Baton Rouge):  11/24/2007

FURR, COACH GERALD PAGE
A resident of Baton Rouge, he died at 2:25 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21, 2007,
at age 74. Visiting at First Presbyterian Church, 707 North Blvd., on
Monday, Nov. 26, from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Visiting resumes at the church
on Tuesday, Nov. 27, from 9:30 a.m. until religious service at 11 a.m.,
conducted by the Rev. Gerrit Dawson and the Rev. Charles Wood. Interment in
Wetmore Cemetery, Ponchatoula. Coach was born on July 20, 1933, in Wisner,
the oldest son of Joe Nixon Furr and Jesse Mae Wells Furr. He earned a
bachelor's degree from Northwestern Louisiana University and a master's
degree from the University of Colorado, Greely. He served in the U.S. Army
in Korea. Coach was a member of First Presbyterian Church. He died
following a long struggle with Parkinson's disease. He was given loving
care in the last years of his life by the Wellness Center at St. James
Place and in his last days at the Butterfly Wing of Hospice of Baton Rouge.
Coach served for 23 years as a teacher, coach and athletic director at
University High School and will be missed by his beloved Cub family. During
his career at U-High, he led the Cubs to consecutive basketball state
championships followed by two state runner-up titles. His basketball teams
won seven district championships and reached the playoffs 15 times. He was
selected District Coach of the Year seven times, Louisiana Sportswriters
Coach of the Year twice and Louisiana Association of Basketball Coaches
Coach of the Year. He was inducted into the Louisiana High School Athletic
Association Hall of Fame and the University High School Athletic Hall of
Fame. He also received the LSU Service Award and the LSU Basketball
Coaching Legend Award. He also led the Cubs to two state championships in
track and field and six consecutive state championships in cross-country.
He was the defensive coordinator for two U-High football state
championships and four state runner-up titles. More than for his titles,
Coach will be remembered for being instrumental in molding the lives of
many young men through his character, inspiration, perseverance, dedication
to hard work and sacrificial love for and devotion to his student athletes.
Coach is survived by his wife, Dorothy "Cissie" Bodker Furr; their sons,
Brett Page Furr and Joseph Weldon Furr; and daughters-in-law, Renee
Starring Furr and Susan Wood Furr. He especially loved his five
grandchildren, Laura Adele Furr, Kathleen Page Furr, Clayton Gerald Furr,
Joseph Weldon Furr Jr. and Anne Maurine Furr. He is also survived by two
brothers, William Joseph Furr, of Dallas, and J.E. Furr, of Houston; two
sisters-in-law, Christine Fritz Furr and Jo Henson Furr; a brother-in-law,
A.J. Bodker and his wife, Colleen Howes Bodker; and many nieces, nephews,
aunts, uncles and cousins. Pallbearers will be Richard Cloy and coaches
Jimmy Gilbert, Willis Stelly, Steve Maddox, Mark Evans, Larry Grantham,
Mike Martin, Johnny Shoptaugh and Ari Fisher. Honorary pallbearers are
Julien "Son" Batey, Walter "Jay" Pierron and Jackson Ensminger. In lieu of
flowers, contributions may be made in memory of Coach Furr to the
University Laboratory School Foundation's ULSF Future Fund. Gifts will
support the construction of a new U-High gymnasium to honor the many happy
years he devoted to teaching, motivating and inspiring student athletes. Go
Cubs! 
 
***************************************************************************

File at: 
http://files.usgwarchives.net/la/tangipahoa/obits/obitssur/furr.txt