Ninth Generation

19029. Lonnie Ray Coffey was born on 7 September 1941 in Matoaka, Mercer Co., WV.⁴⁶³²¹ Lonnie was a US Marine Corps veteran of Viet Nam. Lonnie died on 15 April 1991 at the age of 49 at Memorial Hospital in Easton, Talbot Co., MD and was buried at Windy Hill Cemetery in Trappe, Talbot Co., MD.^46322,46323

Obituary, Watauga Democrat, Boone, N.C., Apr. 19, 1991

Mr. Lonnie Ray Coffey

Maryland Resident

Mr. Lonnie Ray Coffey, 49, of Cambridge, Md., died Monday, April 15, in Memorial Hospital in Easton, Md.

He was born Sept. 7, 1941, in Matoaka, W. Va., a son of Mack Coffey and the late Mrs. Esther McCroskey Coffey. He served in the U.S. Marine Corps from June 1960 to July 1968 and was awarded numerous decorations. He was employed as a salesman by Monumental life Insurance Co and had also worked for Cambridge Wire Cloth Co. for several years. He was most recently employed by Tony's Seafood. He was a member of Dorchester Post No. 91 of the American Legion and Choptank Memorial Post No. 7460 of the VFW.

Survivors include his wife, Dorothy C. Coffey of the home; four daughters, Nannette Hatfield of Lashmeet, W. Va., Ada Coffey of Nashville, Tenn., and Felisha Rae Coffey and Lena Marie Malinowski, both of Cambridge, Md.; one son, Barry Coffey of Hedrick, Okla.; his father of Blowing Rock; four sisters, Margaret Farley and Nellie Coffey, both of Blowing Rock; Virginia Bailey of Quinton, Va., and Bertha Akers of Cambridge, Md.; and two brothers, James E. Coffey of Clearwater, Fla., and Steve Coffey of Winston-Salem. Four grandchildren and several nieces and nephews also survive.

Services were conducted Friday afternoon at Thomas Funeral Home in Cambridge, Md., officiated by the Rev. Donald J. McClain. Interment followed at Winday Hill Cemetery in Trappe, Md.

Pallbearers were Phillip Todd, Jr., Larry Gowe, Jr., John Malinowski, Jr., David Ware, Eddie Simmons and Luther Shorter.

Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society, P.O. Box 295, Cambridge, Md. 21613.

Thomas Funeral Home in Cambridge was in charge of the arrangements.

Lonnie R. Coffey Family

Lonnie Ray was born September 7, 1941 at Matoaka, West Virginia. The house sat on a knoll we called the "Lease," which was before you start up the mountain toward Princeton. Our parents bought a two-story house at the end of Easy Street about the church. We called the house the "Epling House" and it was just before up Church Hollow Road. The Murphys and the Woods lived below us and the Youngs was across the hill. Our dad was a coal miner. We later moved to Old Lashmeet/Matoaka Road at Lashmeet. Dad sold the Epling House and bought out there. We lived next door to Wyatt and Pearl Hylton and their son, Darrell. Darrell and Ray were great friends.

Lonnie's parents were from Blowing Rock, North Carolina, near Grandfather Mountain, Tweetsie Railroad and Appalachian State University at Boone. His parents were Mack Coffey (born: June 1, 1903, died June 11, 1992) and Esther (McCroskey) Coffey (born: December 13, 1910; died June 7, 1978). His grandparents were Samuel Coffey (born January 17, 1880 [sic] [1881]; died August 20, 1970) born Bluff City, TN [sic] [Avery Co., NC] and Josephine Dellinger (born January 1, 1883; died March 19, 1979) born Yancy County, North Carolina; and Samuel Wiley McCroskey (born April 10, 1869 in Bluff City, Tennessee; died April 14, 1926) and Ellenora (Wright) McCroskey (born: January 26, 1877; died: December 18, 1942) of Caldwell County, North Carolina.

Lonnie's brother, Clayton, was born in 1938 at Thomas, near Matoaka, and died in 1938. He is buried at Boone Fork Cemetery at Coffey's Gap, North Carolina.

The Coffeys are from Ireland and came to America by England and settled in Virginia. Our line moved to North Carolina and lived in the Globe area of Caldwell. It is still called Coffey's Gap, North Carolina and sits on U.S. Highway 221.

Lonnie graduated in 1960 from Matoaka High School then joined the U.S. Marines for eight years. He also married Arlene Gail Dishner, daughter of the late Buster and Maiden Dishner of Widemouth. Ray and Arlene has one son, Barry, who married Vent Hatfield [sic] [Barry married Grandena Easton; his sister Nanette married Mr. Hatfield] . They had two children. Ada has a son, Spencer and Lonnie remarried and has two daughters, Felisha and Lena, who live in Maryland.

Lonnie's siblings are:

Bertha Mae, who married Vencil Akers, son of Walter and Hazel (Hodge) Akers of Arista Mt. They had one son, Jerry (born: 1947; died: 1986), and one daughter, Teresa, who is married to Chip Mayo and they have four children who live in North Carolina. Bertha was born in North Carolina and attended Matoaka and Blowing Rock schools.

Virginia was born in Caldwell County, North Carolina. She graduated from Matoaka High School in 1950 and married Eugene Bailey of Richmond, Virginia. They had two daughters, Kathy and Lisa.

Nellie was born in Caldwell County North Carolina and attended Matoaka schools. She got married at age seventeen to Floyd Coffey of North Carolina. They have five children. Nellie died September 2001.

James Edward was born in Caldwell County, North Carolina and attended schools at Matoaka. He joined the U.S. Marines and was in service for 24 years. He is now retired and lives in Florida. He is married with five sons (two of whom are deceased). His son Steve was adopted by his parents, Mack and Esther, when Steve was five weeks old. They lived in Lashmeet. Steve graduated from Watauga High School at Boone and is a four-year graduate of Appalachian State. He is now fourty-two years old and lives in Winston-Salem, North Carolina and manages his own business.

Margaret is the youngest sister, born in North Carolina. She attended Matoaka schools and married Kinney Ellis, the son of Raymond [and] Pearl Dillman Ellis. She remarried Eddie Farley of Princeton, who died in 1976. Margaret moved back to Coffey's Gap where she worked for an ex-movie star for a few years. She also had an antique and gift shop for 18 years. She is now retired and lived in Blowing Rock. Eddie was the son of Vivian and Mamie Neely Farley. All are buried at Rocky Mt. Cemetery at Pipestem. She has step-children. Lonnie Ray died April 15, 1991 of cancer and is buried in Maryland.

Margaret Farley

Lonnie Ray Coffey and Arlene Gail Dishner were married on 18 May 1961 in Tazewell, Tazewell Co., VA.⁴⁶³²⁴ They⁴⁶³²⁴ were divorced before 4 December 1971. Arlene Gail Dishner, daughter of Luther Lee Edison Dishner and Nellie Maiden Hoover, was born on 21 March 1943 in Princeton, Mercer Co., WV.

Lonnie Ray Coffey and Arlene Gail Dishner had the following children:

Lonnie Ray Coffey and Dorothy Elma "Dottie" Creighton were married on 4 December 1971 in New Kent, New Kent Co., VA.⁴⁶³²⁵ Dorothy Elma "Dottie" Creighton, daughter of Hobart Creighton and Elma Frances Andrews, was born on 8 May 1948 in Maryland.

Lonnie Ray Coffey and Dorothy Elma "Dottie" Creighton had the following children: