Transcribed from the Adair County News, Tuesday, January 16, 1923

GONE TO REST.

___________

Mrs. Virginia Coffey, a Fine Christian Character,

a Loveable Woman, Gone to Her Reward.

___________

The Funeral Friday Afternoon.

The land marks of Columbia are fast passing to a better world. On Thursday forenoon [January 11] Mrs. Virginia Coffey, who was the widow of the late Jo Coffey, succumbed with diseases incident to old age, at her apartment on Burkesville Street. The hour of her passing was eleven o'clock, and the ending was peaceful.

The deceased was a daughter of W.W. and Sophia Page and her entire life was spent in Columbia and upon her father's farm, a few miles out the Jamestown road. When quite a young woman she married Mr. Jo Coffey, a prominent business man of this town. To this union seven children were born, six sons and one daughter. The names of those living are W.A., John B. and Geo. R. Coffey. One brother is yet living, Dr. J.N. Page, whose home is in Louisville, and one sister, Mrs. Ellen Wheat, who lived in the home with her.

Mrs. Coffey was reared in the Presbyterian faith and early in life she became a member of that congregation in Columbia, and no more consecrated child of God is identified with that body of religious people. She was at all times in her pew, and when upon the streets she never failed to ask her younger friends to attend Church, and to walk in the fear and admonition of the Lord. Her long life, lacking until next June of being eighty years old, was beautifully spent, and no fears of death came her way. Socially, she was loved by the old and the young, and many hearts ached when the intelligence spread over this community that God had called her to a better world. She will be missed not only by those who were near and dear to her, but by every one who had the good fortune to know her. There was no selfishness in her make up, and when religious services were not held in the church she was identified with, she attended one of the other congregation_ in the community, and never failed to say a good word for the minister who expounded the Gospel of the lowly Nazarene.

The funeral services were held Friday afternoon at 2 o'clock, in the Presbyterian church, conducted by Rev. R.V. Bennett, assisted by Rev. Jessie L. Murrell, and Rev. Carson Taylor. It was a beautiful and touching service, a more consoling discourse than the one delivered by Rev. Bennett is not often heard. He did not overdraw all expression in speaking of the Christian character of the deceased, and it was certainly consoling to the loved ones of the departed mother.

After the conclusion of the services at the church, the remains were conveyed to the city cemetery and deposited by the grave of her husband, her mount literally covered with fragrant and beautiful flowers.

There were a number of out of town relatives and friends from different places. We noticed Mr. and Mrs. W.R. Lyon, Mr. and Mrs. W.H. Wilson, Campbellsville, Mr. Philson Smith and Mr. Will Lewis, of Greensburg.

The News extends its profoundest sympathy to all the surviving members of the family, and may the God of love be with them in the great sorrow they are undergoing is its sincere wish.

Honorary pall bearers: H.C. Baker, J.H. Young, J.O. Russell, J.E. Murrell, Rollin Hurt, M. Cravens, Dr. S.P. Miller, Dr. W.J. Flowers, J.N. Coffey, W.R. Myers, W.I. Ingram, J.F. Montgomery.

Active pall bearers: Dr. H.W. Depp, H.A. Walker, Fred Hill, Irwin Fraser, John W. Flowers, Sam Burdette, G.R. Reed, Elsey Young, M.C. Winfrey.

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Virginia Page Coffey (1844-1923) was the daughter of William W. (1809-1877) and Sophia (Brawner) Page (1809-1875). William and Sophia were married November 13, 1832 in Adair County. Virginia appears in the 1850 Adair County census (district #1, hh # 160) with her parents, older brothers John N. and Charles R., and younger sister E.B. (Ellen B.) Page. Another brother, Thomas Page, was born about 1852. Virginia married Joseph "Jo" Coffey (1833-1911) on January 20, 1863 at her father's home in Adair County, and by 1880, she & Jo were parents of six children: Henry Read, William A., John B., Robert Graves, George M. (obituary below), and Sofie (Sophia) Coffey. The youngest -- seventh -- child, Jo, was born in 1881. Of the seven children, two died as teenagers and two others  died while in their 30s. All four are buried in the Columbia City Cemetery:

Henry R. 1865-1883

Robert G. 1872-1908 (obituary below)

Sophia  1877-1893

Jo  1881-1910 (obituary below)

A brief biographical sketch of Joseph Coffey (Virginia Page Coffey's husband) appears at http://www.rootsweb.com/~kyadair/adairbiographies.htm