Eighth Generation

12314. Omer Roby Coffey^35939,35940 was born on 2 March 1912 in Watauga Co., NC.³⁵⁹⁴¹ Omer died on 16 July 1998 at the age of 86 in Boone, Watauga Co., NC and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Blowing Rock, Watauga Co., NC on 19 July 1998.^35942,35943

Obituary, unknown periodical, unknown date

Mr. Coffey

Mr. Omer Roby Coffey died Thursday afternoon, July 16, at the home of his son.

Mr. Coffey was born March 2, 1912 on the Cone Estate in Blowing rock, a son of the late Roby Columbus and Lester Pearl Elrod Coffey.

He was owner and manager of Blowing Rock Motel on Morris Street from the mid 1940's until his retirement in the early 1980's. He was a former volunteer firefighter with the Blowing Rock Fire Department and was active in a number of civic organizations during his career.

Mr. Coffey is survived by one son, Arthur Mayne Coffey of Lenoir; one daughter, Mary Janice Coffey Herblin of Kenner, Louisiana and Blowing Rock; one brother, Dennis Coffey of Nashville, Tennessee; and one sister, Mrs. Ruby Coffey Young of Alachua, Florida. He is also survived by six grandchildren and two great, great grandchildren.

Graveside services for Mr. Coffey were conducted on Sunday afternoon, July 19 at Woodlawn Cemetery in Blowing Rock. Officiating was the Rev. Robert F. Green.

Memorials may be made to Caldwell County Hospice, 902 Kirkbood Street NW, Lenoir, N.C. 28645.

Austin & Barnes Funeral Home of Boone was in Charge of the arrangements.

Omer Coffey Recalls Morris Street Events

"...I was rained over on the Cone Estate. They had 250 acres of apples there and in the fall we'd pick 40,000 or 50,000 bushels and store them in the apple house over there. Then in the winter time we'd grade them and sort them and the truckers would come in and buy them. I picked so many apples I wished I'd never see another apple..." --Omer Coffey

Omer Coffey no longer operates his Blowing rock Motor Court as a motel, but he has converted a number of rooms into a comfortable apartment for himself. He enjoys sitting on his porch and discussing the early days with friends, especially the happenings up and down Morris Street where his motel is located.

"You see," he pointed, "how the street drops down hill from Main Street? Well, both youngsters and older people, too, used to sled down the street. That was when we had more snow than we do now. People enjoyed that so much and it was nice to see them having so much fun. There was lots of laughter along the street, especially when someone got going too fast and the sled turned over. I got plenty of laughs just watching."

"They used to come down 'hospital hill' and try and make those curves to the back of the school yard. That was really something. A few made it, most didn't. They would end up in the bushes or up against a tree along the way."

"But no one seems to be having as much fun nowadays as they used to. That's too bad."

"But, I remember unpleasant things on Morris Street, too. There was a man - I won't mention his name - that wasn't a nice person at all. He owned that motel right across the street and he'd stand up on Main Street and try and talk people into staying at his place instead of mine. I once calld him on it and he just told me he wouldn't stop. His wife wasn't a nice person either. She told the I.R.S. that I waas cheating on my taxes. They sent an agent from Winston and he checked my books and found that I was declaring all I took in. Those people were just no good.l"

"We had so much trouble with that man, and one thing and another, and fussing over the motel business that we named Morris Srteet the '30th parallel'. After he died, she sold the motel and from then on everything was quiet up and down the street and we all got along with each other."

"Way before we had all that trouble, there was a wooden building up there on the corner of Main Street. That was many years ago. It was the post office for awhile - I guess until it burned down. Then, when it burned down, and it was a vacant lot, I remember the Suddreth boys had a little hot dog stand there. Then, not too many years ago, there was a tea room in the building."

"I was rained over on the Cone Estate. They had 250 acres of apples there and in the fall we'd pick 40,000 or 50,000 bushels and store them in the apple house over there. Then in the winter time we'd grade them and sort them and the truckers would come in and buy them. I picked so many apples I wished I'd never see another apple."

Omer Roby Coffey and Ursula Mae Tester were married. They were divorced on 11 August 1969 in Watauga Co., NC.³⁵⁹⁴⁴ Ursula Mae Tester was born on 9 May 1915 in North Carolina. Ursula died on 16 April 1995 at the age of 79 in North Carolina and was buried at Woodlawn Cemetery in Blowing Rock, Watauga Co., NC.

Omer Roby Coffey and Ursula Mae Tester had the following children: