Bobby Lee Coffey

DEXTER, Mo. -- Known to his grandchildren as "Bops," Bobby Lee Coffey, son of the late Orville and Marie Worley Coffey, was born Sept. 8, 1930, in Parma, Missouri, and, surrounded by family, met his Lord and Savior on Friday, Feb. 14, 2020, at his home in Dexter at the age of 89.

Bob was a gifted athlete, and as a senior in high school he was discovered by a scout for the St. Louis Browns. He was offered a tryout in July 1950, and after homering three times in Sportsman's Park that day, he was offered a contract on the spot, receiving a $750 signing bonus. Before getting a chance to play baseball for the Browns, the Korean War began, and he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. He was stationed in Kansas for four years.

Bob became a Christian at the age of 25. In 1955, he became a member of First Baptist Church, and in 1960, he was ordained as a deacon. Bob taught Sunday school for 50 years. He began teaching a group of high school boys on Sunday mornings and later transitioned into the role as a teacher for the adult Sunday school class. Beginning in 1992, he traveled with a group of men to Haiti, the Dominican Republic and Mexico over the next several years. There they built churches and distributed food to the villagers while sharing the love of Jesus.

He was an owner in Bootheel Petroleum, bringing one of the first fuel transport trucks to the Southeast Missouri region. Growing the business from one transport truck to multiple tankers, he developed a vast number of customers. Farmers in the area will remember him as a thoughtful businessman, allowing them to pay their fuel bills once harvest was completed. He was honored to serve on the board of directors at Citizens Bank and First Midwest Bank for many years.

On July 17, 1951, he was united in marriage to June Barbour in Dexter. He cherished their life together. She proceeded him in death May 16, 2015.

One of his greatest joys in life was in giving to others. He loved spending mornings with his coffee-drinking buddies on the front porch.

He is survived by a son and daughter-in-law, Jim and Kay Coffey of Cape Girardeau; and daughters and their spouses, Jan and David Reimann of Cape Girardeau, Vicki and Jody Lemmon of Dexter and Lisa and Greg Mathis of Dexter. He is also survived by a sister and her husband, Janie and Chuck Caby of Kansas City, Missouri; grandchildren and their spouses, Chad and Liz Reimann of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, J.J. Lemmon of Dexter, Christy and Brandon Vaughn of Dexter, Eric and Brittany Mathis of Birmingham, Alabama, Josh and Katie Reimann of Salt Lake City, Aaron and Brittany Mathis of Dexter, Bobby Coffey of Cape Girardeau and Rachel Coffey of St. Louis; and great-grandchildren, Eliott Reimann, Garett Reimann, Natalie Reimann, Lily Reimann, Noah Reimann, Isaac Reimann, Chloe Lemmon, Delaney Lemmon, Brayden Vaughn, Mabree June Vaughn, Taylor Ward, Harper Mathis and Blake Mathis.

Funeral will be at 11 a.m. today at First Baptist Church in Dexter.

Memorials may be made to George and Carol Ann Truelove, 3026 Lone Pilgram Road, Tanneyville, MO 65759; The Berean Liberty Foundation (Acts 17:11), c/o Jay Scribner, 105 Galewood, Branson, MO 65616; Crown Hospice, 2858 Professional Ct., Cape Girardeau, MO 63703; or Kids Against Hunger of St. Peters, P.O. Box 668, St. Charles, MO 63302.

Mathis Funeral Home in Dexter is in charge of arrangements.