A Funeral Mass for Emma Lou Coffman Frizzell of Athens will be held on Saturday, August 18, 2018 at 10 a.m. by Father Nolan Lowry at the St. Edward’s Catholic Church in Athens. Interment will follow at Athens Cemetery under the direction of Hannigan Smith Funeral Home.
Ms. Frizzell passed away on August 14, 2018 in Athens.
Emma Lou was born in Mayesville, Oklahoma on February 15, 1929 to Dirl and Chelona Coffman. There she graduated from Capitol Hill High School in 1944 and then attended a Catholic School. Emma Lou has been a resident of Athens, Texas since 1953. She and her family joined St. Edward’s Catholic Church as soon as they moved to Athens. She was always very active in the church and is the last of the original founders still members of the church. She was invited to become an Extraordinary Eucharistic Minister by Msgr. Sam Metzger in the 1980’s. Her assigned duty was to deliver Holy Communion to sick and shut-in Catholics, and also Catholics in the area Nursing Homes. She did this every week until the last several years when she was not able to carry on. She worked for many years at Henderson County Memorial Hospital/ETMC Medical Center as ward secretary and nurses aid. She then worked for Dr. Robert and Jane Nettune. Her next employment was with Dr. Harold Smitson and Genesis Hospice where she did volunteer hospice visits. She retired at the age of 79.
Emma Lou was preceded in death by her daughter, Mary Beth Frizzell, in 1959, as well as her parents and one brother, Freeman Reedus Coffman, and two sisters, Oma Lee Stein and Wymanee Gehlken, and son-in-law Roy Dean Graham.
Survivors are: Bill Frizzell, Jr. & Lisa Frizzell of Tyler; Janie Frizzell Boyd, Tommy Frizzell, Judith Frizzell Graham and Allison Frizzell, all of Athens. She was blessed with six grandchildren, four great-grandchildren and one great-great-grandson.
Visitation will be held Friday, August 17, 2018 at Hannigan Funeral Home from 5-7:00 p.m. followed by Recitation of the Rosary at 7:00 p.m.
Pallbearers are: Ross Boyd, Tague Frizzell, Nate Frizzell, Dennis McMath
Honorary Pallbearers: Donnie Boyd, Jr., Bruce Kelley, Gary Motl, John Jacobs
Memorials may be made to the Alzheimer’s Foundation for Research or to her beloved church, St. Edward’s Catholic Church/Debt Reduction, Athens.
Funeral arrangements were entrusted to the Hannigan Smith Funeral Home family.
You may light a candle or write condolences to the family at www.hannigansmith.com.