Winston Emory Coker

Winston Emory Coker, 89, died Saturday, December 2, 2017, at Carolinas Hospital System, Florence.

Funeral services will be 2:00 PM, Tuesday, December 5, 2017, at Carolina Funeral Home Chapel, Scranton, with burial to follow at Lake City Memorial Park.

The family will receive friends from 5:00 – 7:00 PM, Monday, December 4, 2017, at the funeral home.

Mr. Coker was born on October 20, 1928, in Williamsburg County, son of the late John Lewis Coker and Maggie Mae McElveen Coker. He was a veteran of the US Army Signal Corps, serving in Germany. Emory Coker was a well- respected high school administrator and educator for 34 years at J. C. Lynch High School of Coward, SC.  He also served as the school's varsity baseball and boys and girls varsity basketball coach for many years.  In 1960 he led the boys' basketball team to the Class C playoffs, winning the state championship in Columbia, SC. 

A graduate of Hebron High School and Spartanburg Methodist Junior College, Emory obtained his undergraduate degree from Newberry College and Master's degree from Western Kentucky University.  He was a member of St. Paul United Methodist Church in Coward where he taught the Men's Bible Class for 25 years and served as the Sunday School Superintendent.

He is survived by his wife of 65 years, June C. Coker of The Presbyterian Community of South Carolina in Florence; daughter, Linda Coker Houston (David) of New Orleans, LA; son, Dr. James Milton Coker of Surfside Beach; grandsons, John Elliott Houston (Michelle) of Decatur, GA and Alexander Marcus Houston of New Orleans, LA; brother Thurman L. Coker of the Hebron Community; sister-in-law, Harriet Coker of Bamberg; and a number of nieces and nephews.

Mr. Coker was preceded in death by brothers, Robert Harvin Coker and Richard Lowell Coker and sister, Stella Mae Coker Grant.

Memorials may be made to Epworth Children's Home, PO Box 50466, Columbia, SC 29250.

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