Mary Louise Colman Coats

July 24, 1919 - September 11, 2012

Retired City of Jackson architect, Mary Louise Coleman Coats went to be with her Lord on Tuesday afternoon, September 11, 2012 at Morningside Assisted Living in Paris, TN. Services are scheduled for 2:00PM Friday, September 14, 2012 in the chapel of Arrington Funeral Directors. Visitation will begin at 11:00AM prior to the service at Arrington Funeral Directors. Burial will be in Ridgecrest Cemetery in Jackson. Mrs. Coats was born July 24, 1919 to Mort D. and Julia King Coleman in the Hico Community of Carroll County, TN. She graduated from Trezevant High School in 1937 and attended Washington University in St. Louis, MO. As a pioneer of women in architecture, she graduated from the University of Texas in Austin in the early 1960’s. She was a member of The American Institute of Architects. She was married to building contractor Cletus B. Coats, Jr. who passed away in 1989. They were members of Woodland Baptist Church on Wallace Road in Jackson and built the prayer chapel for the church. They designed and built hundreds of homes in Jackson where she called home for more than 70 years. She was an avid traveler and enjoyed her home where she loved viewing the beauty of God’s creation. She gave her heart to the Lord as a young girl and always knew that God would provide for her. He did by giving her a wonderful husband and then caring friends and family to help her when needed. She joined her Lord Tuesday afternoon for her final journey. Survivors include her brother, Ted Coleman and his wife Evelyn of McKenzie, TN; sister-in-law, Dorothy Coats (Bill) Moody of Fort Myers, FL. Nieces and nephews include Jill Moody Bateman of Chevy Chase, MD, Mark Moody of NY, NY, and the late Dr. Charles (Janice) Akins of Memphis, TN, Mary Beth Akins (Larry) Goff of Buchanan, TN, Bruce (Patti) Coleman of Murfreesboro, TN, Dale (Gaye Lynn) Coleman of McKenzie and Senegal, West Africa, and Sharon Coleman (Doug) Dunn of Signal Mountain, TN. She also leaves behind numerous great and great-great nieces and nephews.