Arthur Lee

Coker

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IN LOVING MEMORY

Arthur Lee Coker

Mar 25 1939 - Apr 03 2014

Arthur Lee Coker, Sr. was born March 25, 1939 in San Antonio, Texas to William H. Coker and Cora Belle Martin Coker. He married his best friend Betty Skipworth on October 29, 1971 in Durant, Oklahoma and for 42 years they remained best friends and inseparable in their loving home in Pilot Grove, Texas. After having fought one of the biggest, greatest fights known, even to the doctors, Art went to meet his Lord and Savior on Thursday, April 3, 2014 at Texas Health Presbyterian Hospital WNJ in Sherman, Texas at the age of 75. His pulmonologist told his wife and family numerous times that he referred and will continue to refer to Art as his “miracle patient” and had never met anyone with the love of his family and his determination to “LIVE” for his family. Several doctors and nurses who were blessed to have met him throughout the years of his great battle with his illness came to show their respect, love and admiration to him at the end. The staff at WNJ grew to know and love him during the years and are all greatly appreciated and loved by his wife and family.

After having driven a truck for 20 years, Art wanted to spend more time with his loving wife and children so he gave up truck driving and began working at Kaiser Aluminum as a press operator, where he remained employed for 25 years. Because of Art and Betty’s love for family and friends they made their house into a HOME for all that knew them and needed a place to call “home”. They took in and took care of his dad for several years who had suffered from a cardiac arrest, Betty’s sister who was diagnosed with TB while all the time holding down a full time job, managing a “home”, raising their 4 children and yet found it in their hearts to take in several nephews, nieces, brother and their childrens’ friends. But it didn’t end there. Betty’s parents and brother lived next door and they too were loved and helped by this loving couple. Their daughter was blessed in the hand they had in helping raise her three children and even had a hand in being blessed to help with one great granddaughter (who was born while her parents lived with this LOVING couple) nothing meant more to Art than his kids, grandkids and on down to his great grandkids, he looked at them all as HIS kids. There was never a person in need that Art and Betty did not open just their hearts to, but also their home. Everyone who met Art could feel the warm and loving man he was. His heart was as big as they come and those that were blessed to have ever met Art will never be the same, If you met him you had to love him. HE was and will always be his family’s ROCK and to them, the greatest man there was and one they will continue to learn from and look up to. Art will be greatly missed by all.

He is survived by wife, Betty Coker of Pilot Grove; daughter, Tina Ainsworth and husband Steve of Denison; son, John Coker of Pilot Grove; son, Tim Brown and wife Toni of Denton; son, Malachi Fagan of Pilot Grove; son, Art Coker, Jr. and wife Tammy of Southmayd; son, James William Coker of Seattle, Washington;
20 grandchildren, Anthony Brown and Shayne Parks of Denison, Lacie Parks Williams of Tom Bean, Amber Boehmisch, Garrett and Chance Ainsworth of Denison, Courtney Davidson of Oklahoma City, Lana, Kara, Artie, and Katie Coker of Sherman, Ashley Coker of Howe, Tiffany Hubbard, Evorie Brown, and Mandy Reeves of Denton, Fallon Coker of Farmersville, Joey Coker of Seattle, Scarlett Perez of Sherman, Mandy Perez of Denison, and Michael Perez of San Antonio;
13 great-grandchildren, NataLee (named after her great “papa” Arthur LEE) and Corbyn Brown of Denison, Ayden Wells and Kynlee Williams of Tom Bean, Cadence, Tymberlyn and Tatum Ainsworth of Denison, Josh Davidson of Oklahoma City, Karen, D.J. and Miranda Glover of Farmersville, Bria McMillan of Howe, Aaliyah Perez and Karina Castillo of Denison ; 1 brother, Paul Coker of Normangee.
He was preceded in death by his parents, 2 sisters and 3 brothers.

Family and friends are invited to the funeral home at their convenience on Friday to pay their respects and to sign the register book. The family will receive friends during a visitation on Friday, April 11, 2014 from 6-8pm at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Funeral Home, Whitewright, Texas.

Memorial Services will be held 1:00 PM, Saturday, April 12, 2014 at Turrentine-Jackson-Morrow Chapel, Whitewright, Texas. Officiating the service will be Rev. Rodney Stanford and Rev. James Henry.

In lieu of flowers, the family has set up a memorial fund at Trenton Bank under Art Coker Memorial Fund. Proceeds from this fund will be used to help cover any uncovered or unforeseen funeral expenses as well as flowers.

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Memorials

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