My grandpa Coffey was born in Wilkes Co North Carolina to Maggie Boughman and James William Coffey. Their first child. and the only one Maggie would ever have. She died of pneumonia when he was only 4 years old. He was raised by his father and stepmother Elmira "Mira" Suddreth. (Mira was previously married to Henry Coffey a distant cousin of William's but they were both widows. Mira had one child from Henry named Annie who was Roy's stepsister. She died young.)
Roy began coal mining in West Virginia where he met Lonza Lee Hayes, a brother to Nora Virginia Hayes and Roy's future wife, whom Lonza introduced to him on a weekend home from coal mining. It was love and they married and had 6 children while living in Virginia. First Billy, then Exie, then Trula, then Ellis, then Christine and then Dwight.
Roy was injured in a coal mining accident. The doctors wanted to amputate his leg and he refused but he did walk with a cane the rest of his life. He was very glad he kept his leg.
The family relocated to Roy's home of Wilkes, North Carolina where Roy owned Coffey's 3 Way Service. That business went under because Roy extended credit to too many people who did not pay their bill.
The family moved to Aurora, Illinois following Nora's sister Berthie Hayes McCoy in 1951 where Roy worked for Dukane while Nora worked for Hal's Upholstery. Their children had children and then in the mid 70's Bill their oldest son relocated his family to Phoenix, Arizona. Bill and his family were then followed by Dwight's family, Ellis's family and Nora and Roy.
Grandma made many quilts and loved her family very much. She made one quilt where she took a tracing off all of her kids their spouses, and grandkids hands and sewed them on the quilt as well as stitching our birth-dates on it as well as
in the middle a big heart with Roy and Nora's hands. One of my cousins got divorced and remarried and grandma put her new husband's hand on the quilt and she asked if she could take her first husband's hand off the quilt and grandma said very solemnly... "No one's hand EVER comes off the quilt" and she meant that...
Nora passed before Roy in June of 1982 and I remember him at the funeral crying and very upset, he said "She always said she would go first" He was most obviously heartbroken as the love of his life was gone. Exactly one year and 20 days later he would pass away himself but I know he was sure happy to see her when he crossed over.
Roy began coal mining in West Virginia where he met Lonza Lee Hayes, a brother to Nora Virginia Hayes and Roy's future wife, whom Lonza introduced to him on a weekend home from coal mining. It was love and they married and had 6 children while living in Virginia. First Billy, then Exie, then Trula, then Ellis, then Christine and then Dwight.
Roy was injured in a coal mining accident. The doctors wanted to amputate his leg and he refused but he did walk with a cane the rest of his life. He was very glad he kept his leg.
The family relocated to Roy's home of Wilkes, North Carolina where Roy owned Coffey's 3 Way Service. That business went under because Roy extended credit to too many people who did not pay their bill.
The family moved to Aurora, Illinois following Nora's sister Berthie Hayes McCoy in 1951 where Roy worked for Dukane while Nora worked for Hal's Upholstery. Their children had children and then in the mid 70's Bill their oldest son relocated his family to Phoenix, Arizona. Bill and his family were then followed by Dwight's family, Ellis's family and Nora and Roy.
Grandma made many quilts and loved her family very much. She made one quilt where she took a tracing off all of her kids their spouses, and grandkids hands and sewed them on the quilt as well as stitching our birth-dates on it as well as
in the middle a big heart with Roy and Nora's hands. One of my cousins got divorced and remarried and grandma put her new husband's hand on the quilt and she asked if she could take her first husband's hand off the quilt and grandma said very solemnly... "No one's hand EVER comes off the quilt" and she meant that...
Nora passed before Roy in June of 1982 and I remember him at the funeral crying and very upset, he said "She always said she would go first" He was most obviously heartbroken as the love of his life was gone. Exactly one year and 20 days later he would pass away himself but I know he was sure happy to see her when he crossed over.
My grandpa Coffey was born in Wilkes Co North Carolina to Maggie Boughman and James William Coffey. Their first child. and the only one Maggie would ever have. She died of pneumonia when he was only 4 years old. He was raised by his father and stepmother Elmira "Mira" Suddreth. (Mira was previously married to Henry Coffey a distant cousin of William's but they were both widows. Mira had one child from Henry named Annie who was Roy's stepsister. She died young.)
Roy began coal mining in West Virginia where he met Lonza Lee Hayes, a brother to Nora Virginia Hayes and Roy's future wife, whom Lonza introduced to him on a weekend home from coal mining. It was love and they married and had 6 children while living in Virginia. First Billy, then Exie, then Trula, then Ellis, then Christine and then Dwight.
Roy was injured in a coal mining accident. The doctors wanted to amputate his leg and he refused but he did walk with a cane the rest of his life. He was very glad he kept his leg.
The family relocated to Roy's home of Wilkes, North Carolina where Roy owned Coffey's 3 Way Service. That business went under because Roy extended credit to too many people who did not pay their bill.
The family moved to Aurora, Illinois following Nora's sister Berthie Hayes McCoy in 1951 where Roy worked for Dukane while Nora worked for Hal's Upholstery. Their children had children and then in the mid 70's Bill their oldest son relocated his family to Phoenix, Arizona. Bill and his family were then followed by Dwight's family, Ellis's family and Nora and Roy.
Grandma made many quilts and loved her family very much. She made one quilt where she took a tracing off all of her kids their spouses, and grandkids hands and sewed them on the quilt as well as stitching our birth-dates on it as well as
in the middle a big heart with Roy and Nora's hands. One of my cousins got divorced and remarried and grandma put her new husband's hand on the quilt and she asked if she could take her first husband's hand off the quilt and grandma said very solemnly... "No one's hand EVER comes off the quilt" and she meant that...
Nora passed before Roy in June of 1982 and I remember him at the funeral crying and very upset, he said "She always said she would go first" He was most obviously heartbroken as the love of his life was gone. Exactly one year and 20 days later he would pass away himself but I know he was sure happy to see her when he crossed over.
Roy began coal mining in West Virginia where he met Lonza Lee Hayes, a brother to Nora Virginia Hayes and Roy's future wife, whom Lonza introduced to him on a weekend home from coal mining. It was love and they married and had 6 children while living in Virginia. First Billy, then Exie, then Trula, then Ellis, then Christine and then Dwight.
Roy was injured in a coal mining accident. The doctors wanted to amputate his leg and he refused but he did walk with a cane the rest of his life. He was very glad he kept his leg.
The family relocated to Roy's home of Wilkes, North Carolina where Roy owned Coffey's 3 Way Service. That business went under because Roy extended credit to too many people who did not pay their bill.
The family moved to Aurora, Illinois following Nora's sister Berthie Hayes McCoy in 1951 where Roy worked for Dukane while Nora worked for Hal's Upholstery. Their children had children and then in the mid 70's Bill their oldest son relocated his family to Phoenix, Arizona. Bill and his family were then followed by Dwight's family, Ellis's family and Nora and Roy.
Grandma made many quilts and loved her family very much. She made one quilt where she took a tracing off all of her kids their spouses, and grandkids hands and sewed them on the quilt as well as stitching our birth-dates on it as well as
in the middle a big heart with Roy and Nora's hands. One of my cousins got divorced and remarried and grandma put her new husband's hand on the quilt and she asked if she could take her first husband's hand off the quilt and grandma said very solemnly... "No one's hand EVER comes off the quilt" and she meant that...
Nora passed before Roy in June of 1982 and I remember him at the funeral crying and very upset, he said "She always said she would go first" He was most obviously heartbroken as the love of his life was gone. Exactly one year and 20 days later he would pass away himself but I know he was sure happy to see her when he crossed over.
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