October 9, 2020 Coats Museum News
The date printed on the Daily Record was August 16, 1985 and shared that Thomas Laughton Williford, Jr. took the oath of office as the new Coats Police Chief. Commissioner J.D. Norris swore him in. Others present for the ceremony were Mrs. Verle Flowers, Coats Magistrate; Commissioner Tim McKinnie; Mayor Godfrey T. Beasley, and Coats Police officers Curtis Jones, Glenn Fipps and Henry Hairr.
Mr. and Mrs. Tyson R. Cobb of Angier announced the engagement of their daughter, Tammy Marie Cobb, to Michael Steven Campbell of Coats (Daily Record August 16, 1985).
Update on Steven Campbell - he is the pastor at Beulah Baptist Church in Johnston County and currently lives in the Bailey’s Crossroads area.
Have you noticed that more and more people are living past one hundred years of age? Many of these individuals are veterans of WWII. The August 20, 1985 edition wrote that J.W. Sorrell, Sr. of Route 3, Dunn, celebrated his 97th birthday with some 60 relatives and friends. Mr. Sorrell was a retired farmer and had been married to his wife, Nettie Ennis Sorrell, for 65 years. There were six living children-J.W. Sorrell, Jr., Rev. Charles Sorrell, Margie Raynor, Lunette S. Vaughn, Clara Bell Sorrell and Brookie S. West. The deceased children were Thurman, Kenneth and James Sorrell. Mr. Sorrell was a WWI veteran and a member of the Dunn American Legion Post 59. He was a member of the Hodges Chapel PFWB Church.
I bet you recognize many of those names. How many of the following men do you know? James Grimes, President of the Grove Rural Fire District, honored Norfleet Gardner and William Coats. Mr. Gardner had served as the treasurer of Grove Rural Fire District and Mr. Coats served on the Rural Board (Daily Record Aug. 20, 1985).
Capt. Ned Baxter Ennis had recently received the Army’s Meritorious Service Metal at Ft. Bragg for his outstanding performance of duty as an XVIII Abn. Corps G-3 Operation Officer and Company Commander of the Headquarters Company of the 82nd Abn. Division. Baxter was the son of Mrs. Preston Ennis and was married to the former Glenda Mitchell of Buies Creek (Daily Record August 22, 1985).
How many of you have read Baxter’s book-“Leadership Matters”.
Death took Mrs. Geraldine Langdon, 60, of Coats. She was survived by daughters-Mrs. Hope Turlington, Mrs. Connie Johnson, and Mrs. Mrs. Rhonda Sheffield (Daily Record Aug. 27, 1985).
Phillip J. Bradley, vice president of BB&T in Coats, announced that Nelson Currin, well-known Coats developer, had been elected to the City Board of BB&T. Mr. Currin was married to the former Coma Lee Coats of Angier. They had three children-Durane, Denise Matthews and Derek Currin (Daily Record Aug. 30, 1985).
Several obituaries were listed in the next two editions of the Daily Record. B. House, 87, had died in Rocky Mount. She was survived by a daughter, Mrs. Charles (Belle) Wheeler of Coats. Mr. Oliver C. Barbour, 83, a retired farmer from Benson, had died (Daily Record Sept. 2, 1985).
Mrs. Kathryn P. Coats, 53, of Route 1, Angier had died. She was survived by her husband, Lewis C. Coats; a daughter Mrs. Brenda Sears; sons-Kenneth and Mitchell Coats; her mother, Mrs. Mozelle Peed and siblings-David Peed, Mrs. Joseph P. Andrews and Mrs. Carol Dupree (Daily Record Sept. 11, 1985).
The Suggs surname is a popular one around Bailey’s Crossroads as is the Byrd name in Coats. Mrs. Elgie Byrd Suggs of Coats had died at 54 years of age. She was survived by her husband, Earl Suggs; a daughter Becky S. Williams and sons- Richard and Randy Suggs. Mrs. Woodrow Norris and Josephine Kilgore were sisters (Daily Record Sept. 12, 1985).
I had the good fortune of teaching all three of Elgie and Earl’s children and have to note that they were amazing students. Actually Ricky comes by to visit the museum when he is visiting from London.
Another name familiar to my household was Mrs. Nettie Turner Turlington. After my mother-in-law died, my father-in-law would visit his relatives and former classmates who lived in the area. Mrs. Nettie Turlington had married a cousin was one that he loved to visit and share memories.
Mrs. Nettie was honored at a family pig picking/reunion for her 91st birthday. She was the daughter of the late Elder William G. Turner and Cornelia Williams Turner. She had married the late Paul E. Turlington in 1915.She had three surviving children-Oscar Rolac, Paul Ensor and Isobel Turlington Wolf. “Granny,” as she was affectionately called, began her nursing career by taking a Red Cross nurses training during WII so she could do her part (Daily Record Sept. 18, 1985).
The museum could not function without the continued generosity of friends of the museum. Johnny Byrd, owner of Quality Awning Co., recently placed gutter and downspout on the museum shelter. All the museum folks really thank you, Johnny, for doing this good deed.
Joey Tart was in my son’s wedding in Virginia Beach and Joey and Bryan have been friends since elementary school. Bryan and Liz Sorrell sent a generous memorial to the museum to honor Joey’s dad, Joe Tart. Much gratitude goes to Ralph and Lorena Denning, Becky Adams, Peggy Robinson and friends at Mt. Pisgah and Bryan and Liz Sorrell and Hilda Pope for remembering my brother, Stacey Johnson, Sr., with memorials to the Coats Museum. Thank you to Becky Adams for also remembering her friend Edna Collier who recently died.
The museum volunteers are humbled by the generosity of so many people who have a giving nature to remember or honor those special people in their lives. Your giving allows others to enjoy the museum and its collection of Coats history.
The date printed on the Daily Record was August 16, 1985 and shared that Thomas Laughton Williford, Jr. took the oath of office as the new Coats Police Chief. Commissioner J.D. Norris swore him in. Others present for the ceremony were Mrs. Verle Flowers, Coats Magistrate; Commissioner Tim McKinnie; Mayor Godfrey T. Beasley, and Coats Police officers Curtis Jones, Glenn Fipps and Henry Hairr.
Mr. and Mrs. Tyson R. Cobb of Angier announced the engagement of their daughter, Tammy Marie Cobb, to Michael Steven Campbell of Coats (Daily Record August 16, 1985).
Update on Steven Campbell - he is the pastor at Beulah Baptist Church in Johnston County and currently lives in the Bailey’s Crossroads area.
Have you noticed that more and more people are living past one hundred years of age? Many of these individuals are veterans of WWII. The August 20, 1985 edition wrote that J.W. Sorrell, Sr. of Route 3, Dunn, celebrated his 97th birthday with some 60 relatives and friends. Mr. Sorrell was a retired farmer and had been married to his wife, Nettie Ennis Sorrell, for 65 years. There were six living children-J.W. Sorrell, Jr., Rev. Charles Sorrell, Margie Raynor, Lunette S. Vaughn, Clara Bell Sorrell and Brookie S. West. The deceased children were Thurman, Kenneth and James Sorrell. Mr. Sorrell was a WWI veteran and a member of the Dunn American Legion Post 59. He was a member of the Hodges Chapel PFWB Church.
I bet you recognize many of those names. How many of the following men do you know? James Grimes, President of the Grove Rural Fire District, honored Norfleet Gardner and William Coats. Mr. Gardner had served as the treasurer of Grove Rural Fire District and Mr. Coats served on the Rural Board (Daily Record Aug. 20, 1985).
Capt. Ned Baxter Ennis had recently received the Army’s Meritorious Service Metal at Ft. Bragg for his outstanding performance of duty as an XVIII Abn. Corps G-3 Operation Officer and Company Commander of the Headquarters Company of the 82nd Abn. Division. Baxter was the son of Mrs. Preston Ennis and was married to the former Glenda Mitchell of Buies Creek (Daily Record August 22, 1985).
How many of you have read Baxter’s book-“Leadership Matters”.
Death took Mrs. Geraldine Langdon, 60, of Coats. She was survived by daughters-Mrs. Hope Turlington, Mrs. Connie Johnson, and Mrs. Mrs. Rhonda Sheffield (Daily Record Aug. 27, 1985).
Phillip J. Bradley, vice president of BB&T in Coats, announced that Nelson Currin, well-known Coats developer, had been elected to the City Board of BB&T. Mr. Currin was married to the former Coma Lee Coats of Angier. They had three children-Durane, Denise Matthews and Derek Currin (Daily Record Aug. 30, 1985).
Several obituaries were listed in the next two editions of the Daily Record. B. House, 87, had died in Rocky Mount. She was survived by a daughter, Mrs. Charles (Belle) Wheeler of Coats. Mr. Oliver C. Barbour, 83, a retired farmer from Benson, had died (Daily Record Sept. 2, 1985).
Mrs. Kathryn P. Coats, 53, of Route 1, Angier had died. She was survived by her husband, Lewis C. Coats; a daughter Mrs. Brenda Sears; sons-Kenneth and Mitchell Coats; her mother, Mrs. Mozelle Peed and siblings-David Peed, Mrs. Joseph P. Andrews and Mrs. Carol Dupree (Daily Record Sept. 11, 1985).
The Suggs surname is a popular one around Bailey’s Crossroads as is the Byrd name in Coats. Mrs. Elgie Byrd Suggs of Coats had died at 54 years of age. She was survived by her husband, Earl Suggs; a daughter Becky S. Williams and sons- Richard and Randy Suggs. Mrs. Woodrow Norris and Josephine Kilgore were sisters (Daily Record Sept. 12, 1985).
I had the good fortune of teaching all three of Elgie and Earl’s children and have to note that they were amazing students. Actually Ricky comes by to visit the museum when he is visiting from London.
Another name familiar to my household was Mrs. Nettie Turner Turlington. After my mother-in-law died, my father-in-law would visit his relatives and former classmates who lived in the area. Mrs. Nettie Turlington had married a cousin was one that he loved to visit and share memories.
Mrs. Nettie was honored at a family pig picking/reunion for her 91st birthday. She was the daughter of the late Elder William G. Turner and Cornelia Williams Turner. She had married the late Paul E. Turlington in 1915.She had three surviving children-Oscar Rolac, Paul Ensor and Isobel Turlington Wolf. “Granny,” as she was affectionately called, began her nursing career by taking a Red Cross nurses training during WII so she could do her part (Daily Record Sept. 18, 1985).
The museum could not function without the continued generosity of friends of the museum. Johnny Byrd, owner of Quality Awning Co., recently placed gutter and downspout on the museum shelter. All the museum folks really thank you, Johnny, for doing this good deed.
Joey Tart was in my son’s wedding in Virginia Beach and Joey and Bryan have been friends since elementary school. Bryan and Liz Sorrell sent a generous memorial to the museum to honor Joey’s dad, Joe Tart. Much gratitude goes to Ralph and Lorena Denning, Becky Adams, Peggy Robinson and friends at Mt. Pisgah and Bryan and Liz Sorrell and Hilda Pope for remembering my brother, Stacey Johnson, Sr., with memorials to the Coats Museum. Thank you to Becky Adams for also remembering her friend Edna Collier who recently died.
The museum volunteers are humbled by the generosity of so many people who have a giving nature to remember or honor those special people in their lives. Your giving allows others to enjoy the museum and its collection of Coats history.