Elise Diane Coker

Elise was born in Pittsburg, Texas, on April 14,1935 to Ezro V. and Eva A. Hicks. She was the second of six children who lived on a small farm that had no electricity or indoor plumbing. To say she came from humble beginnings is truly an understatement. When her family’s house burned to the ground in 1940, the family moved into the barn, where they lived for almost two years. While the house was burning, five-year-old Elise was given charge of her younger brother and sister. Being born under these circumstances during the depression shaped Elise’s formative years, resulting in a lifetime of responsibility, frugality, and creative self-reliance which served her well throughout her life.

In 1953, Elise graduated high school third in her class, and then moved to Houston, Texas to get a job. She lived with her older brother, Ted, and his young family while she worked and saved money to become more financially independent.

Elise was working for United Gas Corporation in January of 1956 when she met Dan C. Coker and fell in love. They were married on July 20, 1957, in Pittsburg, Texas. She had to leave her job because the owner of United Gas Corporation would not allow married women to work for him.

Though she quickly found other work, inarguably, the greatest calling of Elise’s life was to be the strong and capable woman behind her man, Dan. She took her role as his helpmate seriously and dedicated herself to helping him succeed in all that he did. She held a job so that Dan could finish graduate school; and typed every page of his Master’s thesis and Doctoral dissertation on a manual typewriter in triplicate. While typing, she corrected any grammatical errors in these documents, her language skills being exceptional even though she had not attended college.

Dan and Elise were very active in the Church of Christ, so it was no surprise when they committed to serve and minister as missionaries to the peoples of Central America and later South America. Their first endeavor took them to Guatemala City, where Elise immediately embraced the culture, learned the Spanish language, and bore her first child six months after arriving in Guatemala. On the mission field, her adaptability and avoidance of unnecessary expenditure were great assets. She had a gift for managing money well, for extending the life of her family’s clothing with skillful mending, and the ability to infinitely repurpose and reuse items. Her daughters have laughingly proclaimed that their mother was recycling before it became trendy.

Elise was often an encouragement to others as she demonstrated her faith in God, giving her the ability to remain calm and confident even when things did not go as planned. She was also beloved for her fun-loving nature and the delicious cakes she baked. Elise took great joy in raising her two daughters, Danise (Dani) and Marla, teaching them to embrace their circumstances, whatever they might be. Some of Dani and Marla’s favorite memories are of the classic books she read to them, the great musicals she enjoyed with them, and the card and domino games she played quite competitively throughout her life.

Another gift to her entire family, and one of her proudest achievements, was authoring a book, Eva’s Story. When Elise was 55 years old, she began writing this memoir of her mother, Eva A. Hicks, which was published in 2020. The book also details many of Elise’s childhood experiences while living on the farm in East Texas. It tells tales of a bygone era for future generations to appreciate and better understand, which is priceless.

Elise is preceded in death by her parents, her beloved husband, and all of her siblings: Theodore A. Hicks, Robert N. Hicks, Sandra J. Insall, David N. Hicks, and Karin M. Day. She is survived by her daughters, Danise (Dani) Coker Ayoubi of Austin, TX, and Marla Coker of Austin, TX; and four grandchildren, Christopher Gale Ayoubi of Katy, TX, Jeremy Gale Ayoubi of Katy, TX, Hannah Ayoubi of Austin, TX, and Michelle Ayoubi of Austin, TX, who cherish their memories of her and will miss her presence in their lives.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in Elise's honor to Mission Resource Network www.mrnet.org.