Extracted from The News-Star (Monroe, LA)
Wednesday, October 23, 1963

Former Deputy Sheriff Dies At Columbia

COLUMBIA (Special) -- A . J. Coates Sr., 75, of Columbia, died Tuesday night in a local hospital following an illness of one week.

Mr. Coates was a native of Vixen, and a retired deputy sheriff. He served as chief deputy for 33 years under the late John W. King Sr. from 1928 to 1936 and under the present sheriff, G. E. Erskine, from 1936 until his retirement on January of 1961.

He had also served as chairman of the Democratic Executive Committee in Caldwell Parish for 18 years, and taught school before becoming a deputy sheriff.

Funeral services will be held 2 p.m. Thursday at the Columbia First Baptist Church with the Rev. J. D. Kitchingham and the Rev. Jimmy Bolton officiating.

Interment will follow in the Palestine Cemetery under direction of Riser and Son Funeral Home of Columbia.

Surviving are his widow, Mrs. Flora Gregory Coates; two daughters, Miss Edith Coates of Columbia and Mrs. Louise Keller of Collinston; two sons, Archie J. Coates Jr., of North Little Rock, Ark., and Norman D. Coates of Columbia; two brothers, Dyke Coates of Vixen and Ellis Coates of Guatemala City, Guatemala; four sisters, Mrs. Jack B. Womack, Mrs. W. M. May, Mrs. H. L. Presley and Miss Monique Coates, all of West Monroe; and eight grandchildren.

Pallbearers will be Claude Steele, Claude Washer, Bill Perkins, Archie Darden, Jim Sherman, Tom Watts, L. L. LaCroix and Arvil Gunn.