Brenda Gail Coker

My mother was born February 26th 1949, in Belmont to L.C. and Julia Coker. She was the first child and they felt so blessed to have her. Around the age of 2, my mother had been sick and my grandparents took her to see Dr. Jack Senter. He diagnosed her with polio and told them they needed to take her to Tupelo as soon as possible. So they left for Tupelo and the church family of New Bethel Missionary Baptist Church began prayer led by Carter Segars. My grandmother said that it was like a miracle. Before they reached Tupelo she could see a change in my mother's condition and when they got there the doctor said she was fine.
At 5 she began school at Belmont and welcomed the birth of her sister Anita. Mother told me once that she can remember that she left to go to school and when she got home she had a baby sister.
She was involved in many activities in school and was you normal teenager. I suppose I shouldn't tell all the funny stories but she made alot of memories in school with fena-mints, lightswitches, and car accidents.
She stayed at Belmont all of her days until she graduted in 1967 as Valedictorian. She then went on to Northeast Mississippi Community College where she graduated after two years. She then transferred to Mississippi State...but she didn't graduate from there.
You see in the fall of 1969 she met this handsome young man from Red Bay at the Old Jack's Resturant. They went on a double date with some friends and as I was told she was too impressed at first. She said he was kinda sloppy dressed and she just wasn't so sure about him. He asked her for a date by themselves and she agreed. This time when he showed up at her door...he was neatly dressed, his hair was combed, and I am sure he was wearing cologne. Well this was the beginning of a beautiful relationship.....