James Edward Coats, Jr.

James Edward Coats, Jr. was born August 19, 1925 to James and Dawsie Coats and was one of thirteen children. James was married to the late Mildred Coats for 71 years. He passed away on the morning of June 24, 2020. He leaves one son, Jimmy (Anita) Coats of Burlison; one daughter, Cindy York of Buford, GA; one brother, Leon Coats and a step-brother, Frank Brown. He was a loving grandfather to Jason (Rachel) Coats, Melissa (Tim) Gribble, Cristi (Brian) Oswalt and Brandy (David) Bailey. Great grandchildren are Hunter Tune, Matthew and Evan Coats, Molly and Oliver Oswalt, Hayden and Trey Bailey and step-great grandchildren, Alex Gribble and Haley Redden. He served two tours in WWII with the 3rd Armored Division of the U. S. Army. He participated in the Omaha Beach Landing, walked across Europe and fought at the Battle of the Bulge. During this time, he was wounded and received the Purple Heart Medal. Prior to retirement, he worked for the Sharvania Oil Company in Memphis as a machinist/sales representative. He was also a member of the Gilt Edge Church of Christ. In addition to his parents and wife, he was preceded in death by a son, Ricky Murphy Coats (1952- 1968), six brothers, five sisters, a step-brother and a son-in-law, Micheal York. Graveside services with military honors will be held at 2 p.m. on Sunday, June 28 at the Covington Memorial Gardens. There is no public visitation planned. The funeral services will be live-streamed on Facebook at the Church of Christ meeting at Gilt Edge page.