January 1, 1936 –  March 14, 2015  COLLINSVILLE – Funeral services for Phillip Earl Coats, 78, will be held Tuesday, March 17, 2015, at 10:00 a.m., at the First United Methodist Church of Collinsville, Texas with Rev. Gene Gordon and Rev. Jon Coats officiating. All service arrangements are under the direction of Meador Funeral Home in Whitesboro, Texas. He will be interred at the DFW National Cemetery at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, March 19, 2015. Visitation services will be held Monday, March 16, at Meador Funeral Home from 6-8 p.m. Masonic Rites will be given at 7:00 p.m. during the visitation services.He died at his residence in Collinsville on Saturday, March 14, 2015.
Phil was born on January 1, 1937 in Santa Ana, California to Earl Melvin Taft Coats and Icy Irene Pierce Coats. He married Lee Ann Stone on October 4, 1969 in Weatherford, Texas. He proudly served his country during the Vietnam War with the 101st Airborne Division as a helicopter pilot for the U. S. Army. He flew a Huey and a CH 54 Sky Crane. Phil was decorated for his heroism, receiving two Distinguished Flying Crosses; two Bronze Stars (one for valor; one for meritorious service); 21 Air Medals; and one Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with a Gold Star. Phil attended seminary at the St. Paul School of Theology in Kansas City, MO. He later received his Ph.D. in Theology. He was a retired Methodist minister. He and his wife, Lee Ann, moved to the Collinsville community in 2001. He was a member of the Missouri Conference.
He is survived by his wife, Lee Ann Coats, of Collinsville; daughter, Robin Patrice Coats, of Poplar Bluff, MO; son, Phillip Charles Coats of Ephrata, WA; daughter, Heather Duncan of Poplar Bluff, MO; grandchildren: Ali Coats, Charley Fraley, Katie Coats, Emma Coats, Jackson Coats, and Taylor Duncan.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Rev. Earl and Mildred Coats; mother, Irene Jaraszyk; brother, Jim Coats; and granddaughter, Katherine Coats.
The pallbearers will be Rolf Stone, Mark Stone, Hartlen Coats, Jim Blakenship, Thomas Brown, and Neil Jones.