Earl Fredrick Coachman

Obituary Earl Fredrick Coachman was born on September 5, 1948, at Archibald Hospital in Thomasville, Georgia, to the late Mrs. Mary Elizabeth Horne Coachman and Everett Samuel Coachman II. He grew up in the Horne family home at 544 North Main Street in Boston, Georgia, where he was raised by his mama and co-parented by his grandparents, Kadocia and Lessie Lena (Williams), and auntie, Lessie Ruth Horne. Earl, the third of his mama’s four children, grew up with older brothers, Everett Samuel Coachman III (“Mike”) and William Horne Coachman, and little sister, Valerie Elizabeth Coachman (Moore). At sixteen years of age, he welcomed his first niece and love of his life, Konice Kae Coachman (McCrary).

Earl attended North Boston Elementary School, where he was beloved, challenged, and taken care of by his many teachers, all of whom were either relatives or neighbors. A lover of recreational activities and sports, he could often be found outside playing hard with his brothers and other neighborhood friends and especially the nextdoor neighbors, the Hollands. Earl loved his grandmother’s dog, Trixie, and had a penchant for hunting small game as an adolescent. He attended Magnolia High School, where he forged many relationships that lasted a lifetime. He excelled in athletics there and was a proud member of the Magnolia High School Buccaneers football team. He looked up to his father and brother’s accomplishments on the gridiron and worked to uphold the Coachman reputation. He continued to work out throughout much of his life – in the gym and on jogging trails. His early social and spiritual life were shaped at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church in Boston, Georgia, where he was an active member, engaged in Sunday school, BTU, choir, and other activities. In Atlanta he attended Beulah Baptist Church and fellowshiped with other faith communities.

Upon graduation from Magnolia, Earl moved to New Jersey to live with his Aunt Ruby (Horne) Williams and soon enlisted in the U.S. Army during the Vietnam era, where he served stateside. At the end of his tour and honorable discharge, he returned to New Jersey where he’d established strong friendships. He attended and graduated with a Bachelor of Science in criminal justice from Glassboro State College, New Jersey, in the late 1970s. Throughout his adult life he simply consumed current events and read at least one newspaper a day if not more. His love for music, especially the ‘Philly Sound’ was contagious. Upon matriculation from college, Earl worked for the federal government initially in the criminal justice field before transferring to the U.S. Postal Service. During his career, he lived and worked in Southern New Jersey (Wenonah, Camden, and Deptford), Southern California (Pasadena, Los Angeles, Pacific Palisades, and Long Beach), and Atlanta, which was his home for nearly the last three decades. Earl attracted many friends and developed relationships with people who valued him even when navigating his life was dynamic. Friendships Earl relied on over the years include cousins, Crosby (Wanda) Thomas and Richard (Betty) Bethune I; son, Richard (Jean) Bethune II; and buddy, Pete of New Jersey. He was blessed to have angels like Reverend Henry and Betty Strong and other dear buddies in Atlanta who had his back through it all.

He was predeceased by his parents; two brothers, Mike and William; and many other family members who transitioned before him, including grandparents, Kadocia and Lessie Lena (Williams) Horne, Everett Samuel I and Corine (Barrett) Coachman; uncles and aunties, Lessie Ruth Horne, Frederick Carlton, Sr., and Rose (Barnes) Horne, Jonathan and Allie Horne, Ruby Mae and John Williams, LeRoy and Evelyn Horne, and Chester and Emma Horne; cousins, Richard Bethune, Harry and Anna Bethune, Alliene and Issac Willis, Rhoda Ann (Bonhue) Broadnax, and Alice Coachman. Survivors to cherish his memory include: sister, Valerie Coachman-Moore (Solomon) of Pasadena, California; nieces and nephews, Konice Kae Coachman

McCrary (Franklin), Latoya Quinette Coachman, JaMicah Rashaad Coachman- Amos, Kaedrein Rashaad Suckie, and Ellaniti Anderson (Anthony); children

Jayveioun Cody, Anthony Jr., Cedric, Acari, and Kimla (Greg) Hobbs, all of Thomasville, Georgia, Solomon Salim Coachman Moore of Claremont, California, Amir Samuel Coachman Moore of Los Angeles, California, Asha Elizabeth Coachman Moore of Pasadena, California, Frederick Horne of Donaldsonville, Georgia, Patricia B. Edwards of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Renee Bradley and Carla Reed (Greg) of Atlanta, Martha Anne and Germaine Hatcher of Pacific Grove, California, Lakeeta Stevenson (Nathaniel) of Kansas, Kansas, Wanda Murray (Tyrone) of Richmond, Virginia, Richard Bethune, Jr. (Jean), of Alpharetta, Georgia, LeVetris Cook Clora of Southfield, Missouri, and Lisa Cook-Palmer and Danielle Coachman of Greensboro, North Carolina; and a host of other nieces, nephews, and cousins.