Emily Jan Coward

Emily Jan Currie Coward played the piano for the last time on December 21. Prior to that, she had played nearly every day of her 75 years, the number and speed of repetitions of "The Entertainer" being a sure barometer of her day. Mrs. Coward was "Honey" to her husband, the love of her life, Bill Coward, and "Mama" to her two children, Steven and Susan. One of her favorite names was "Grandma," which she insisted on over "Granny," not wanting to think of The Beverly Hillbillies every time someone called her name. She is preceded in death by her parents, Albert and Emily (Mobley) Currie; her brothers, Charles Lanier Currie and Albert Lee Currie, Jr.; and her four aunts – firecrackers from whom she learned to play the piano and give "the Currie lip." She is survived by her husband, William L Coward, Sr.; her children, Susan Lanier Scarbrough and Steven Currie Nobles; her grandchildren, Haley Marie Nobles and William Noah Nobles; her brother Geo. Harold Currie (Carolyne), and her sister-in-law, Betty Ann Currie, whom she regarded as a sister; her cousins, Billy and Martha Daniel; her lifelong, steadfast best friend, Johnnie Lowery White – Lucy to her Ethel, Thelma to her Louise, salt to her pepper; and a slew of nieces, nephews, cousins, friends, and coworkers, each of whom she had a private nickname for. Jan Coward played the piano every day, right up until the day she took ill, retaining her ability to read music and play from memory. She was a cake baker and decorator, a seamstress, the world's fastest typist, and a voracious reader. She was a fierce advocate for her children, never shying away from marching right up to that school and taking care of this. She held herself to a high standard and held her children to an equally high one, always expecting them to do their best and then do some more. Like her mother before her, Jan Coward quietly went about the business of helping anyone she could. Her legacy is one of, "Don't just stand there, do something." She was Past Royal Matron of Shamrock Court and Christina Court, Order of the Amaranth, and Past Worthy Matron of Dublin Chapter of the Order of the Eastern Star. Jan had perfect posture and could not abide the sound of Fritos being eaten. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 P.M. Saturday, January 6, 2018 in the Chan Stanley Memorial Chapel of Stanley Funeral Home and Crematory, with interment to follow at Bluewater Baptist Church Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 5:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M. on Friday, January 5, 2018 at the funeral home. Stanley Funeral Home and Crematory/Dublin Chapel has charge of funeral arrangements.