Memorials › Mattie Foster Coleman Simmons
Mattie Foster Coleman Simmons
24 Jul 1879 – 5 Sep 1965
| Birth | 24 Jul 1879 |
| Death | 5 Sep 1965 |
| Cemetery | Eastlawn Memorial Park Early , Brown County , Texas , USA |
| Added by | K-J Wall on 11 Feb 2012 |
| FaG | https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/83064220 |
Bio
Mattie Foster Coleman was the thirteenth child of Alexander Coleman and his second wife, Sally Jean Foster Colemna. She was born in Eastland County, Texas 24 July 1879. Her family moved to Montague County, Texas when she was still a baby. They later moved to the Giles Community in Hall County, Texas. While they lived in Hall County, Mattie and her younger sister, Dea, had to walk some distance to school in Memphis. They had a dog that walked the distance with them daily, although the girls and their parents tried to get the dog to stay home. They had to walk through a heavy mesquite brush area; and one day when they were in that area they encountered a wolf. This frightened them and the wolf would have attacked them if it had not been for the faithful dog. From then on the dog was welcome to follow them everywhere. Mattie and John Marrell Simmons were married 28 December 1899 in Donley County, Texas. John had a men's clothing story in Farwell, Texas when their first child, Eula Rachel (Raye) was born. Later they moved to Slaton, Texas, where after a few years they sold the men's clothing, and John purchased a grocery store. In 1935, their youngest daughter, (Jerry) now married to Louis Butler, moved from Slaton to Freer, Texas. Dea and Will Allison lived in Freer at this time. It wasn't long until Mattie and John went to visit their daughter, grandson, and sister. They liked the area and later moved to Freer, where they had a coal and feed store. John and Mattie moved to Brownwood in 1957 to be near Jerry who had moved there in 1951. Mattie instilled in her children the desire for education. Eula Raye said, "As far back as I can remember, I was going to college. My mother was an avid reader and we inherited the desire to read from her. Our town and school libraries were very limited and the neighbors saved their books and magazines for us to borrow. She encouraged her grandchildren in the same way." Mattie had a habit of learning and increasing her vocabulary by a word everyday. It had to be a useful word, and she had to use it in conversation. She followed this learning procedure as long as she was mentally alert. She was a challenge for her family to follow. John lost his eyesight several years before his death and she lost her hearing, so they made quite a team. John was Mattie's ears and she was his eyes. Mattie fell and broke her hip and arm and couldn't walk for a year and a half before her death in 1965. John had died in 1960. Mattie loved her Lord and the Bible and lived it every day. She attended services until she was no longer able. Mattie was a tiny woman with a twinkle in her eye. Her children and grandchildren all loved and respected her. She always had a cheerful word. Legend has it that when one of the boys needed discipline, she would wait until they fell aleep so she could catch them.
Photos
Family
Parents
Spouse
Siblings
- James Monroe Coleman 1855–1927
- John Scott Coleman 1856–1937
- Sallie Webb Coleman Childers 1858–1938
- Ellen Christine Coleman Wall 1859–1945
- Mary Jane "Molly" Coleman 1861–1880
- Rachel Zoeda Coleman Rolls 1868–1951
- Calidonia Eula Coleman Mankins 1872–1928
- Julia Emy Coleman Muse 1873–1965
- Annie Viola Coleman Simmons 1874–1915
- Ursula Dea Coleman Allison 1882–1971
Children
- Eula Raye Simmons Pace 1908–1991 FaG
- John M. Simmons Jr 1911–1997 FaG
- Woodrow Simmons 1915–1995 FaG
- Geraldine Viola "Jerry" Simmons Butler 1916–1999 FaG
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