LANDER COE
Died Aug. 19, 2014
Mr. Lander Coe, 79, 1303 Queen St. Wilson, N.C., passed away Tuesday, Aug. 19, 2014, at his residence.
Mr. Lander Coe was employed for 61 years at Hamilton Funeral Chapel.
Lander was born to the late Lenzie Coe and Rebecca McDonald Coe.
He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Richard Coe.
Lander was raised by his aunt, Libby McFadden, who owned Libby's Restaurant. As fate would have it, the restaurant was located across the street from Hamilton Funeral Home. At the adventurous age of 14, young Lander found his way across the street to the funeral home, following Baby Hart, who worked at the funeral home at the time.
Lander watched under watchful eyes of Tahnon Hunter and Landy Hodges. A vibrant youngster, he was assigned the duties of making removals and working funerals, was the infamous ambulance driver and was also the night man on call. In the days, the night man stayed at the funeral home overnight.
His service to Hamilton spanned 61 years. He was blessed to work with three generations of the Hamilton family including the founder, the late Levi Hamilton and his wife, Geneva B. Hamilton.
During these 61 years, Lander had observed changes in the funeral traditions of Wilson and surrounding counties. He remembered removing door frames and windows in order to place bodies in homes for the custom of "sitting ups."
Some of his most vivid memories were of driving the ambulances while transporting expectant mothers. His comical fear was that they would deliver while en-route to the hospital.
To facilitate the growth of the business, the funeral home moved to 211 S. Pender St. in 1961. Lander made his home on the second floor of the funeral home for more than 15 years.
During these formative years, Lander always stood ready to answer the phone and perform any task needed. He became known as a fixture at Hamilton Funeral Home.
At the height of the funeral home's business, he remembered having nine funerals in one day. Lander had an uncanny talent for arranging flowers at the funerals and even using the beautiful floral arch. You could easily tell the services that he conducted because he would take extra care to arrange the flowers neatly on the grave.
He would often say, "The family will be back to look."
In 1980, Hamilton added a cemetery, Hamilton Burial Garden. Lander became the sexton of the cemetery. He would maintain the cemetery in a pristine and dignified manner.
If asked, he could locate the grave of a family's loved one without looking at the map. His dedication to his work was evident, as he often dug graves by hand when the back hoe was broken.
In June 1968, he met the former Dorothy Thompson, and April 6, 1973, they were united in holy matrimony. Dot, as she is fondly called, made a home of the funeral home's upstairs apartment.
Dot would accompany him to do removals and also to various cemeteries to dig graves. She learned patience as she stood by her "funeral home man."
Lander accepted the Lord as his personal savior in 2004. For many years he was a member of Calvary Presbyterian Church. He later joined Union View Free Will Baptist Church.
A celebration of his life will be held Sunday, Aug. 24, 2014, at 2 p.m. at L.N. Forbes Original Free Will Baptist Tabernacle, 1800 Lane St., Extension. The Rev. Ernie Haskins will officiate. Interment will follow at Hamilton Burial Garden, Lane Street Extension, Wilson, N.C.
Loved by all who were blessed to know him, Lander leaves to cherish his beautiful life a devoted wife of 41 years, Dorothy Thompson Coe; three stepsons, James Thompson of Wilson, N.C., Richard Thompson of Suitland, Md., and Anthony Thompson of Germany; a godson, the Rev. Ernie Haskins (Miranda) of Goldsboro, N.C.; two goddaughters, Tishana Graham of Rocky Mount, N.C., and Jennifer Bynum of Wilson, N.C.; five brothers: Lenzie "A.G." Coe (Bessie) of Wilson, N.C., David Coe (Mary) of Covina, Calif., Curtis Coe and Lennon Coe both of Parkton, N.C., and Lynwood Coe of Fayetteville, N.C.; four sisters, Ealer Mae Coe Shells of Wilson, N.C., Louise Coe Muse (Clarence) of Washington, D.C., Gloria Coe of Parkton, N.C., and Carolyn Williams of Fayetteville, N.C.; stepmother, Lula Coe of Fayetteville, N.C.; and a host of other relatives and friends, including his Hamilton Funeral Chapel family.
A public viewing will take place Saturday from 2 to 8 p.m., with the family being present from 7 to 8 p.m., at Hamilton Funeral Chapel, 726 Tarboro St. SW., Wilson, N.C.
Arrangements are being handled by Hamilton Funeral Chapel of Wilson.
Condolences may be directed to www.hamiltonfuneralchapel.com.
(Pd)
Published in Obituaries on August 22, 2014 1:49 PM