Cynthia Ann (Cannon) Coates, a wonderful wife, mother and daughter, and a devoted children's minister, volunteer, and advocate, died Sept. 14, 2021. She was 57.
A visitation with family is planned from 5-7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 17, at Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler, Abilene, Texas, under the direction of Piersall Funeral Directors. A memorial service at 2 p.m., Sept. 18, also at Hillcrest, will honor her life. Burial will be at Buffalo Gap Cemetery in a private family service.
Cynthia was born Feb. 18, 1964, to Glenn and Carol Cannon at Kincheloe Air Force Base, Mich., where her father was an optometrist for the U.S. Air Force. Later, the family lived in Odessa, Longview, Abilene and Houston, where Glenn was an optometrist. They settled in Abilene in 1972, and Cynthia attended Taylor Elementary and Franklin Middle Schools, and in 1982 graduated from Abilene High School. A band member at every school, she was first chair flute and won numerous honors including a top score in UIL state competition. She was active in Wilderness Trek Christian Camp, serving as a crew leader and guide, and through Trek met the love of her life, Neal, whom she married Dec. 15, 1984, while they were students at Abilene Christian University.
At ACU, Cynthia was a proud member of the Big Purple Band and first chair flute in the Symphonic Orchestra. After earning a bachelor's degree in elementary education 1987, she served three years as the elementary English as a Second Language teacher and coordinator for the Lawrence (Kansas) Unified School District and enrolled in graduate courses at the University of Kansas.
After the first of their five children was born, Cynthia was a stay-at-home mother who was active in youth and children's ministry with congregations in Kansas, Texas, Connecticut, and Texas again. She was a den leader for her sons' Cub Scout Packs, 201 and 205, in Abilene and was active with the Taylor Elementary School PTA and as a volunteer at Abilene Christian Schools. An avid reader, she also enjoyed mountain biking and loved to sew. Most of all, she loved being with her children and extended family and had so many friends.
Cynthia was a founding member and vice president of the Anencephaly Support Foundation, a board member for the Brazos Valley Crisis Pregnancy Center, and was instrumental in the creation of a Birth Defects Registry in the Texas Department of Health. All these commitments grew out of her love and appreciation for life and for her son Samuel. In 1995, she testified in Chicago before the American Medical Association Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. She and the doctors who spoke were successful in reversing a rule that allowed organs to be harvested from anencephalic infants.
She embraced the family's travels that allowed her to serve twice in Oxford, England, as a Study Abroad house parent at ACU's program there and twice participated in the Zambia Medical Mission. She passed on her love of hiking to her children, climbing many mountains in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, including the highest mountains in each of those states.
As a child and teenager, Cynthia was a member of the Hillcrest Church of Christ. Later, after the Coates settled in Abilene, she taught many children's classes and volunteered in numerous ministries including Vacation Bible School, church retreats, and life groups. She became children's minister at Hillcrest in 2011, serving in that role until her passing. In 2021, she earned a Certificate in Children's Ministry from Bethel University and had enrolled in graduate courses for Children's and Family Ministry, also from Bethel.
Cynthia was preceded in death by her infant son, Samuel. She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Neal Coates of Abilene, and by their four children and two grandchildren: daughter Rebekah (and Blake) McNeill of Lubbock, and their daughters Alice and Eleanor; son Jesse Coates of Dallas; daughter Martha (and Trenton) Gardner of Mt. Pleasant; and son Timothy Coates of Abilene. She is also survived by her parents Glenn and Carol Cannon of Abilene, three siblings: Kent (and Terry) Cannon of Lincoln, Neb.; Debbie (and Doug) Bryan of Winters; and Charles (and Janabeth) Cannon of Shallowater; and by many sisters- and brothers-in-law and nieces and nephews.
Those wishing to honor Cynthia's life through a memorial gift may contribute to the Children's Ministry Program at Hillcrest Church of Christ. Condolences may be offered to the family online at www.pbfuneraldirectors.com.
A visitation with family is planned from 5-7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 17, at Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler, Abilene, Texas, under the direction of Piersall Funeral Directors. A memorial service at 2 p.m., Sept. 18, also at Hillcrest, will honor her life. Burial will be at Buffalo Gap Cemetery in a private family service.
Cynthia was born Feb. 18, 1964, to Glenn and Carol Cannon at Kincheloe Air Force Base, Mich., where her father was an optometrist for the U.S. Air Force. Later, the family lived in Odessa, Longview, Abilene and Houston, where Glenn was an optometrist. They settled in Abilene in 1972, and Cynthia attended Taylor Elementary and Franklin Middle Schools, and in 1982 graduated from Abilene High School. A band member at every school, she was first chair flute and won numerous honors including a top score in UIL state competition. She was active in Wilderness Trek Christian Camp, serving as a crew leader and guide, and through Trek met the love of her life, Neal, whom she married Dec. 15, 1984, while they were students at Abilene Christian University.
At ACU, Cynthia was a proud member of the Big Purple Band and first chair flute in the Symphonic Orchestra. After earning a bachelor's degree in elementary education 1987, she served three years as the elementary English as a Second Language teacher and coordinator for the Lawrence (Kansas) Unified School District and enrolled in graduate courses at the University of Kansas.
After the first of their five children was born, Cynthia was a stay-at-home mother who was active in youth and children's ministry with congregations in Kansas, Texas, Connecticut, and Texas again. She was a den leader for her sons' Cub Scout Packs, 201 and 205, in Abilene and was active with the Taylor Elementary School PTA and as a volunteer at Abilene Christian Schools. An avid reader, she also enjoyed mountain biking and loved to sew. Most of all, she loved being with her children and extended family and had so many friends.
Cynthia was a founding member and vice president of the Anencephaly Support Foundation, a board member for the Brazos Valley Crisis Pregnancy Center, and was instrumental in the creation of a Birth Defects Registry in the Texas Department of Health. All these commitments grew out of her love and appreciation for life and for her son Samuel. In 1995, she testified in Chicago before the American Medical Association Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. She and the doctors who spoke were successful in reversing a rule that allowed organs to be harvested from anencephalic infants.
She embraced the family's travels that allowed her to serve twice in Oxford, England, as a Study Abroad house parent at ACU's program there and twice participated in the Zambia Medical Mission. She passed on her love of hiking to her children, climbing many mountains in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, including the highest mountains in each of those states.
As a child and teenager, Cynthia was a member of the Hillcrest Church of Christ. Later, after the Coates settled in Abilene, she taught many children's classes and volunteered in numerous ministries including Vacation Bible School, church retreats, and life groups. She became children's minister at Hillcrest in 2011, serving in that role until her passing. In 2021, she earned a Certificate in Children's Ministry from Bethel University and had enrolled in graduate courses for Children's and Family Ministry, also from Bethel.
Cynthia was preceded in death by her infant son, Samuel. She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Neal Coates of Abilene, and by their four children and two grandchildren: daughter Rebekah (and Blake) McNeill of Lubbock, and their daughters Alice and Eleanor; son Jesse Coates of Dallas; daughter Martha (and Trenton) Gardner of Mt. Pleasant; and son Timothy Coates of Abilene. She is also survived by her parents Glenn and Carol Cannon of Abilene, three siblings: Kent (and Terry) Cannon of Lincoln, Neb.; Debbie (and Doug) Bryan of Winters; and Charles (and Janabeth) Cannon of Shallowater; and by many sisters- and brothers-in-law and nieces and nephews.
Those wishing to honor Cynthia's life through a memorial gift may contribute to the Children's Ministry Program at Hillcrest Church of Christ. Condolences may be offered to the family online at www.pbfuneraldirectors.com.
Cynthia Ann (Cannon) Coates, a wonderful wife, mother and daughter, and a devoted children's minister, volunteer, and advocate, died Sept. 14, 2021. She was 57.
A visitation with family is planned from 5-7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 17, at Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler, Abilene, Texas, under the direction of Piersall Funeral Directors. A memorial service at 2 p.m., Sept. 18, also at Hillcrest, will honor her life. Burial will be at Buffalo Gap Cemetery in a private family service.
Cynthia was born Feb. 18, 1964, to Glenn and Carol Cannon at Kincheloe Air Force Base, Mich., where her father was an optometrist for the U.S. Air Force. Later, the family lived in Odessa, Longview, Abilene and Houston, where Glenn was an optometrist. They settled in Abilene in 1972, and Cynthia attended Taylor Elementary and Franklin Middle Schools, and in 1982 graduated from Abilene High School. A band member at every school, she was first chair flute and won numerous honors including a top score in UIL state competition. She was active in Wilderness Trek Christian Camp, serving as a crew leader and guide, and through Trek met the love of her life, Neal, whom she married Dec. 15, 1984, while they were students at Abilene Christian University.
At ACU, Cynthia was a proud member of the Big Purple Band and first chair flute in the Symphonic Orchestra. After earning a bachelor's degree in elementary education 1987, she served three years as the elementary English as a Second Language teacher and coordinator for the Lawrence (Kansas) Unified School District and enrolled in graduate courses at the University of Kansas.
After the first of their five children was born, Cynthia was a stay-at-home mother who was active in youth and children's ministry with congregations in Kansas, Texas, Connecticut, and Texas again. She was a den leader for her sons' Cub Scout Packs, 201 and 205, in Abilene and was active with the Taylor Elementary School PTA and as a volunteer at Abilene Christian Schools. An avid reader, she also enjoyed mountain biking and loved to sew. Most of all, she loved being with her children and extended family and had so many friends.
Cynthia was a founding member and vice president of the Anencephaly Support Foundation, a board member for the Brazos Valley Crisis Pregnancy Center, and was instrumental in the creation of a Birth Defects Registry in the Texas Department of Health. All these commitments grew out of her love and appreciation for life and for her son Samuel. In 1995, she testified in Chicago before the American Medical Association Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. She and the doctors who spoke were successful in reversing a rule that allowed organs to be harvested from anencephalic infants.
She embraced the family's travels that allowed her to serve twice in Oxford, England, as a Study Abroad house parent at ACU's program there and twice participated in the Zambia Medical Mission. She passed on her love of hiking to her children, climbing many mountains in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, including the highest mountains in each of those states.
As a child and teenager, Cynthia was a member of the Hillcrest Church of Christ. Later, after the Coates settled in Abilene, she taught many children's classes and volunteered in numerous ministries including Vacation Bible School, church retreats, and life groups. She became children's minister at Hillcrest in 2011, serving in that role until her passing. In 2021, she earned a Certificate in Children's Ministry from Bethel University and had enrolled in graduate courses for Children's and Family Ministry, also from Bethel.
Cynthia was preceded in death by her infant son, Samuel. She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Neal Coates of Abilene, and by their four children and two grandchildren: daughter Rebekah (and Blake) McNeill of Lubbock, and their daughters Alice and Eleanor; son Jesse Coates of Dallas; daughter Martha (and Trenton) Gardner of Mt. Pleasant; and son Timothy Coates of Abilene. She is also survived by her parents Glenn and Carol Cannon of Abilene, three siblings: Kent (and Terry) Cannon of Lincoln, Neb.; Debbie (and Doug) Bryan of Winters; and Charles (and Janabeth) Cannon of Shallowater; and by many sisters- and brothers-in-law and nieces and nephews.
Those wishing to honor Cynthia's life through a memorial gift may contribute to the Children's Ministry Program at Hillcrest Church of Christ. Condolences may be offered to the family online at www.pbfuneraldirectors.com.
A visitation with family is planned from 5-7 p.m., Friday, Sept. 17, at Hillcrest Church of Christ, 650 E. Ambler, Abilene, Texas, under the direction of Piersall Funeral Directors. A memorial service at 2 p.m., Sept. 18, also at Hillcrest, will honor her life. Burial will be at Buffalo Gap Cemetery in a private family service.
Cynthia was born Feb. 18, 1964, to Glenn and Carol Cannon at Kincheloe Air Force Base, Mich., where her father was an optometrist for the U.S. Air Force. Later, the family lived in Odessa, Longview, Abilene and Houston, where Glenn was an optometrist. They settled in Abilene in 1972, and Cynthia attended Taylor Elementary and Franklin Middle Schools, and in 1982 graduated from Abilene High School. A band member at every school, she was first chair flute and won numerous honors including a top score in UIL state competition. She was active in Wilderness Trek Christian Camp, serving as a crew leader and guide, and through Trek met the love of her life, Neal, whom she married Dec. 15, 1984, while they were students at Abilene Christian University.
At ACU, Cynthia was a proud member of the Big Purple Band and first chair flute in the Symphonic Orchestra. After earning a bachelor's degree in elementary education 1987, she served three years as the elementary English as a Second Language teacher and coordinator for the Lawrence (Kansas) Unified School District and enrolled in graduate courses at the University of Kansas.
After the first of their five children was born, Cynthia was a stay-at-home mother who was active in youth and children's ministry with congregations in Kansas, Texas, Connecticut, and Texas again. She was a den leader for her sons' Cub Scout Packs, 201 and 205, in Abilene and was active with the Taylor Elementary School PTA and as a volunteer at Abilene Christian Schools. An avid reader, she also enjoyed mountain biking and loved to sew. Most of all, she loved being with her children and extended family and had so many friends.
Cynthia was a founding member and vice president of the Anencephaly Support Foundation, a board member for the Brazos Valley Crisis Pregnancy Center, and was instrumental in the creation of a Birth Defects Registry in the Texas Department of Health. All these commitments grew out of her love and appreciation for life and for her son Samuel. In 1995, she testified in Chicago before the American Medical Association Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs. She and the doctors who spoke were successful in reversing a rule that allowed organs to be harvested from anencephalic infants.
She embraced the family's travels that allowed her to serve twice in Oxford, England, as a Study Abroad house parent at ACU's program there and twice participated in the Zambia Medical Mission. She passed on her love of hiking to her children, climbing many mountains in Colorado, New Mexico and Texas, including the highest mountains in each of those states.
As a child and teenager, Cynthia was a member of the Hillcrest Church of Christ. Later, after the Coates settled in Abilene, she taught many children's classes and volunteered in numerous ministries including Vacation Bible School, church retreats, and life groups. She became children's minister at Hillcrest in 2011, serving in that role until her passing. In 2021, she earned a Certificate in Children's Ministry from Bethel University and had enrolled in graduate courses for Children's and Family Ministry, also from Bethel.
Cynthia was preceded in death by her infant son, Samuel. She is survived by her husband of 37 years, Neal Coates of Abilene, and by their four children and two grandchildren: daughter Rebekah (and Blake) McNeill of Lubbock, and their daughters Alice and Eleanor; son Jesse Coates of Dallas; daughter Martha (and Trenton) Gardner of Mt. Pleasant; and son Timothy Coates of Abilene. She is also survived by her parents Glenn and Carol Cannon of Abilene, three siblings: Kent (and Terry) Cannon of Lincoln, Neb.; Debbie (and Doug) Bryan of Winters; and Charles (and Janabeth) Cannon of Shallowater; and by many sisters- and brothers-in-law and nieces and nephews.
Those wishing to honor Cynthia's life through a memorial gift may contribute to the Children's Ministry Program at Hillcrest Church of Christ. Condolences may be offered to the family online at www.pbfuneraldirectors.com.
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