Thomas Theodore Coay

After a long, fulfilling life and brief battle with cancer, our precious Thomas Theodore Coay, passed away peacefully on October 18, 2024. All who were blessed to know Tom know he loved the Lord with all his heart, soul and mind. He never had a thought that wasn’t worth pondering and his presence and impact upon our lives will forever be a blessing beyond measure. 

We all know that he felt his emotions to his fullest extent and had the gift of making the person he was talking to feel like the most important person in the world. Every life that he touched, for any amount of time, was better off because of it. His presence will be dearly missed here on Earth, but he made sure to remind us that where he is going – there would be only rejoicing. 

Tom was born on February 3, 1941 to Oscar and Oletha Coay in Decatur, Illinois. He served in the United States Army, earned his Bachelor’s Degree from Southwest Missouri State College and earned his Master’s Degree in Divinity from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. While Tom was an educated servicemember, it was his life outside of those things that brought him the most joy. One of his proudest accomplishments was his long and loving marriage. It will come as no surprise that he met his wife, Kay, at church and they were married not long after on September 21, 1968. 

Tom is survived by his cherished wife of 56 years, (Rosalyn) Kay McClelland Coay; his two children, daughter Ann and husband Chad Long, son Neal and wife San Coay, and grandchildren Hannah and husband Austin Ruder, Evann Long, Jackson Coay, Cooper Coay, and Luci Coay. He is also survived by sister Judy Poggemeier; as well as several nieces and nephews. 

Tom's lifelong ministry was teaching and encouraging others, which he continued to do until his last day. Throughout the years, Tom and Kay hosted many Prayer and Praise meetings in their home; providing people a place to worship and allowing them to find community. He continued this tradition on a smaller scale, meeting with "The Boys" every Tuesday afternoon without fail. His passion was to help others in their walk with the Lord. He found great joy in seeing how God moved in people's lives and never missed an opportunity to share a Godwink. We will miss him every day, but we will choose to honor his life by embodying each of the qualities we loved most in him. Tom’s legacy will be one of love, thoughtfulness, wisdom, and potent emotion.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to non-profit charities that were close to Tom's heart. Abilities FIRST is an organization that assists with the needs and expenses of people with developmental disabilities, info@abilitiesfirst.net. The Least of These is a full service food pantry serving Christian County, leastofthesefoodpantry.org. The Pregnancy Care Center has a mission to save lives and strengthen families, 417pcc.org.

Services will be held at Adams Funeral Home in Nixa, Missouri on Tuesday, October 22, 2024, with Pastor Hosea Bilyeu officiating. The visitation is 11:00 am to be followed by the funeral at 12:00 pm. Burial will be at Black Oak Cemetery in Marshfield, MO at 4:00 pm.