Kathryn Dell Coker

Funeral services for Kathryn Dell Coker will be held Sunday, April 14, at 2:00 p.m. at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home Chapel, with Dr. Bill Lacy and Dr. Ben James officiating. Burial will be in Toomsuba Cemetery. Mrs. Coker, age 85, passed away Wednesday, April 10, 2024, at her home in Toomsuba surrounded by her loving family.

Robert Barham Family Funeral Home is honored to be entrusted with the arrangements.

Kathryn Dell was born on June 7, 1938, in Meridian, Mississippi, and grew up in the Alamucha community. She attended Mississippi State College for Women (“The W”) and Livingston State College (now UWA) and graduated with a degree in Elementary Education. Following graduation, she taught 3rd grade at Oakland Heights Elementary School in Meridian.

In 1960, Kathryn Dell married the love of her life, Charles Coker. She described their marriage as “made in heaven,” and she loved to tell the story of their first date. While she was playing “Pomp and Circumstance” on the piano during his graduation ceremony at Dixie Highway School, Charles walked by and pinched her on the back. After the graduation ceremony, he asked her on a date, and their lifelong love story began. They were married for 51 wonderful years until Charles’s death in 2011.

Kathryn Dell was a very talented pianist.  Her masterful touch on those ivory keys had a way of making melodies come alive, each note infused with emotion and meaning. She began playing the piano at her little country church when she was only 10 years old. After she married Charles and joined Toomsuba Baptist Church, she played the piano and organ there for over 50 years. She also played for countless weddings and funerals. Charles surprised her one Christmas with a baby grand piano, and it was her prized possession. She loved to play the piano, and her family loved to listen to her beautiful music.

Kathryn Dell was a loving, devoted wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother. She loved spending time with her family and had such a generous spirit. She also had a wonderful, endearing sense of humor and, with a twinkle in her eye, delighted in making her family laugh. She was always thoughtful and encouraging and had a way of making others feel special. She often sent letters or cards, or sometimes delivered a cross-stitched gift, to friends and family to encourage them and let them know she was thinking about them. A true Southern lady, she always made sure everyone felt welcome in her home. She loved drinking Coke, and visitors never left her house without being offered a Coke too. Kathryn Dell was as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside. She was greatly loved by her family, and she will be deeply missed.

She is survived by her daughters, Beth Smith (John), Alison Irwin (Les), and Charla Pierce (Sam); grandchildren Lacy Kelly (Kirk), Alex Potter (Taylor), and Justin Irwin (fiancé Reagan Mathis); great-grandchildren Madison Kelly, Rylee Grace Kelly, Colt Kelly, and Ella Potter; and sister-in-law, Elaine Jackson (Jack). She was preceded in death by her beloved husband Charles and her parents, Kathryn and Dell Lacy.

Pallbearers will be Les Irwin, Justin Irwin, Sam Pierce, John Smith, Taylor Potter, Kirk Kelly, and Tim Lacy.

Visitation will be at Robert Barham Family Funeral Home on Saturday, April 13, 2024, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.

The family would like to express their gratitude to Jestine Terrell, Kosandra Williams, and Compassus Hospice staff, especially Ashley and Shelby, for helping to care for her in her final days.