Betty Jo Edwards Coffman

Betty Jo Edwards Coffman, of Houston, passed away November 24, 2022, in Hamilton, Texas. She was 95. Betty was born in Gore, Oklahoma, on February 24, 1927, to George Washington Edwards and Bertha Rebecca Edwards. When Betty was a young girl, the family moved to Iago, Texas, in Wharton County, where she grew up, graduating from Boling High School in 1945.

Betty had a profession before it was fashionable for women to be professionals, serving as a registered nurse for over thirty-five years. She retired as the Assistant Director of Nursing at Memorial Hermann Southwest Hospital in Houston. Betty was old school, wearing the traditional white nursing uniform and cap until the day she retired.

Along the way, in 1951, Betty married Herbert L. Coffman, the preacher at her church, the Boling Church of Christ. They were married for over forty years and raised three children, Richard (b.1955), Susan (b. 1958), and Bo (b. 1960). As a preacher’s wife, Betty faithfully worked alongside Herbert, serving in several Church of Christ congregations in the Houston area. She later became a lawyer’s wife after putting him through law school.

Known alternatively as Mom, Bett, Aunt Betty, Nurse Grandma, Gammie, and GG, Betty was a devoted wife, caring mother, doting grandmother, loving sister and aunt, and faithful friend. She was mischievous and funny. Betty was close to her siblings, nieces, and nephews, serving as the medical advisor and de facto matriarch of the Edwards clan. She was a dedicated follower of Christ and an active member of the Murphy Road Church of Christ. Betty had a servant’s heart and performed many acts of kindness for her fellow church members, family, and friends.

Betty travelled extensively with her husband and family and probably toured more Scottish castles than anyone in recent memory. She enjoyed reading her Bible, good preaching, singing hymns, spending time with her granddaughters and great-grandchildren, the Christmas gathering of the Edwards clan, mother-daughter weekends, and caring for others. Later in life, she became a fierce Scrabble player who sometimes played fast and loose with the rules.

Betty was preceded in death by her husband, Herbert, in 1993, son, Bo, in 2011, brother, Bill, and sisters Maxine, Anna, and Mary. She is survived by her son Richard, and daughter-in-law, Sonya, of Houston; daughter, Susan, of Houston; daughter-in-law, Rebecca Coffman, of Presidio, Texas; “adopted” daughter, Mary Folse Kearney (Steve), of Houston; granddaughters, Bianca Walsh (Ben), of San Antonio, Lina Silva (Alfonso), of Hamilton, Texas, Kelly Rudy (Colin), of New York City, and Carson Kelley (Taylor), of Houston; six great-grandchildren; sisters, Flo (Gerald), of Temple, Texas, and Georgia, of Swinney Switch, Texas; and numerous nieces and nephews.

The family would like to thank Dr. Gerald Snyder and the nurses and staff at the Hamilton General Hospital, Focused Care Hamilton, and Solaris Hospice for loving on Betty and providing her with excellent medical care. The family extends special thanks to Betty’s granddaughter, Lina Silva, her husband, Alfonso, and their children (and Betty’s great-grandchildren), Mia and Bo, for brightening her day and lifting her spirits with daily visits.

Visitation will be held Saturday, December 3, 2022, from 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. at Forest Park Lawndale Funeral Home, 6800 Lawndale St., Houston, Texas 77023, with a memorial service celebrating Betty’s life immediately following at 2:00 p.m.