Raymond "Ray" Lewis Coker

Ray Coker was born Sept 21, 1935, just before his twin brother Ron, to young parents Lew and Kay Coker. Ray and Ron grew up near their grandparents and their Baroski cousins. They spent summers in George West, Texas with their extended family.
As teenagers, Ray and Ron were both life guards at the Gateway Pool on Main Street in Houston. Both competed in roller skate dancing and won awards. They attended minor league baseball games at Buffalo Stadium, attended the Houston Rodeo at the Sam Houston Coliseum downtown, and enjoyed Playland park. The family began floating the Comal River in New Braunfels in 1946, at Camp Warnecke. This became an annual tradition, which still continues today. In the 1950s when the Meyer brothers were opening the original Meyerland, Ray’s father Lew talked them into including a record store, and Lew’s Record Shop was born. Lew and Ray ran the record shop together for almost 20 years until it closed.
Ray was involved in a lot of music, dance and theater efforts. He took and later taught dance lessons with the “Swayze School of Dance”. He attended University of Houston and participated in what was back then an annual theater spectacle called “Frontier Days”. Life Magazine ran a picture of “Frontier Days” and Ray was in the picture. He performed with a local community theater group called “Theater Incorporated”. He had great memories of performing in Guys and Dolls and Showboat.
In the mid 1950s Ray, Lew and cousin Al Baroski started a band. At first it was a 5 person group called “Ray and the Gamblers”, later it became the “Ray Coker Combination”. They played weddings and corporate dances. The band played as an intermission band for famous orchestras and performers, including BB King.
He spent 6 years in the Texas Air National guard. Against his mother’s wishes, in the 1950s Ray took flying lessons and began a livelong love of flying. Ray’s life was deeply affected when Lew and Lew’s parents were killed in a car accident in 1973. Ray married Sandy in 1964, and they had Cathy and Darren. Ray took the family on many adventures across the country. Ray’s love of dance and music rubbed off on the kids, as Darren went into percussion and Cathy went into dance. He designed and built the “Barn” house that became their home. Ray and Sandy were members of square dance and round dance clubs. They were in a ski club and went snow skiing often. They were in a party of the month club and hosted a New Orleans Mardi Gras party at their house and threw necklaces off of the balcony. Ray and Sandy were thrilled to add 4 grandchildren in the 1990s, and took them on many adventures as well.
In the 1990s Ray bought a Piper Pacer tail dragger, and flew whenever he could. He was a proud member of EAA chapter 302 in Conroe. He made 10 trips to OshKosh and flew to Michigan to visit Darren in Michigan.
After the Record Store closed, Ray worked for Weingarten’s Warehouse, then Stewart and Stevenson, then ran his own business as “The Texas Handyman”, then worked for Compaq Computers and lastly worked for Continental Airlines. He finally retired at age 75.
While Ray was living he lost many family and friends that meant the world to him, including his grandparents Glenn and Lydia Coker, and George and Eugenia Wenkhous, parents Lew and Kay Coker, his Uncle Al and Aunt T Baroski, band member / cousin Al Baroski, band member Steve Villasenor, band member Bob Menier and cousins Karen Baroski and Gary Baroski.
He is survived by his wife Sandy, daughter Cathy and husband Steve Mullis, son Darren Coker and wife Teresamaria, grandchildren Matthew Coker, Connar Mullis, Robin Coker, Riley Mullis, Emily and husband Brian Frederick, Alora and husband Andrew Arney, one great grandchild, Alice Arney, his brother Ron and wife Mildred Coker, band members Roy Story, James Moore, Glen Keightley, Jacquy Pearson, his Baroski first cousins, Janice, Bob and Sandy, Janet and Ed, Larry and Beverly, Jennifer, Mary and Richard, Frannie and Robert, Gina and Mark, Sherry and Glen, many other family members, and many, many friends.
There will be a celebration of Ray’s life on Monday May 19 from 4-7pm at the B.E. Winery, address 400 Bryant Rd, Conroe, Texas. Food and drink will be available. Dress is casual, we encourage everyone to bring their stories and pictures of Ray, and share them during the celebration.