Arthur Wallace Coffey

Seminole resident, Rev. Arthur Wallace Coffey, passed away Monday, June 5, 2023, at the age of 89.

Arthur, Art, the son of Chat and Ethel Lee (McGlassen) Coffey, was born December 15, 1933, in Norman. He grew up in Norman, Shawnee, and the Venice Beach area of California. He proudly served in the US Air Force and worked many years at Tinker Field. In the mid 80’s he attended Seminole Jr. College and East Central University in Ada alongside his daughters. Along the way Art pastored numerous churches in Oklahoma and Texas. He loved being in church and serving others. In later years he especially enjoyed playing the guitar, singing and telling jokes at local nursing home church services. Besides playing the guitar he taught himself how to play the piano and wrote numerous songs throughout his lifetime. Art also enjoyed writing poetry, short stories, drawing words of wisdom cartoons for church bulletins and had published one work of fiction. He also enjoyed telling stories about his youth, his family and his experiences in life. Art was a member of the NRA and the American Legion. He also served several years as the Chaplain for the Seminole Police Department.

Art was a proud parent, grandparent and great-grandparent. He never missed an opportunity to tell his family he loved them and to give his daughters a kiss on the head. Art was a daily caretaker of all his grandchildren before they became school aged and he frequently played Santa for the public library story time while they were little. In earlier years he loved just playing with his grandchildren, some days painting clown faces on everyone just for fun. As the grandkids got older he loved attending their sporting events.

On January 6, 2003 Art married Patsy (Moore) Jensen. He and Pat began traveling around the world where he collected unique walking canes. They also took numerous cruises where he would sometimes get on stage to sing a song or tell a couple of jokes during audience participation nights.  He and Pat contributed to numerous charities through-out the world.

Art was preceded in death by wife, Maudie (Griffin) Coffey; 3 infants, Mark, Matthew, and Manuela; a son-in-law, Randy Parsons; and a grandson-in-law, Zibeh Zakka, 2 sisters, a brother and both parents.

Art is survived by his wife, Patsy Coffey; two sons, Paul Coffey; David Coffey and spouse Forrest Billingsley; two daughters, Michelle Fields and spouse, Bruce, and Melinda Timmons and spouse, Wayne; four grandchildren, James and spouse Erin Timmons, Heather and spouse Tyler Powell, Rachael and spouse Zibeh Zakka and Jerad Fields; 4 great grandchildren, Bran Powell, Asher Timmons, Amelia Timmons, and Matthias Zakka; along with many other family and friends.

Services will be 10:00 AM, Thursday, June 8, 2023, at Swearingen Funeral Home in Seminole, with Jeff Nance officiating.  Interment will follow at Neal Cemetery in Earlsboro.  Services are under the direction of Swearingen Funeral Home in Seminole.