Delma Percola Coston

Delma Percola Coston was born on June 11, 1939, to Warren Spivey and Gertrude Conage Spivey in Thomasville, Georgia. She passed away on March 3, 2026.

In 1955, Delma married the love of her life, John Coston. Their marriage lasted until his death in 2009. Together they raised eleven children, one of whom was stillborn. Delma devoted her early years to being a stay-at-home mother, nurturing her family with care and consistency. When her youngest child started school, she entered the workforce, first at Nesmith Company, where she remained until the business closed. She later served as a dietician at Camilla Gardens and worked at Cora’s Beauty Salon, first as a shampooer and then as a skilled stylist known for her Jerry curls that many in the community sought out.

A lifelong woman of faith, Delma was a faithful member of St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church, where she served on the Usher Board. She also ushered at Union Hill Missionary Baptist Church for many years. In her quieter moments, she found simple pleasure in watching The Price Is Right and The Steve Harvey Show.

Delma was the last surviving of her parents’ twelve children. She was preceded in death by her brothers Henry, LC, Claude, Floyd, James, LJ, and Jimmy Spivey, and her sisters Omie Holland, Veola James, Annie Grace Penn, and Annie Doris Battle, as well as five of her own children: Johnnie Mae Esther, Johnnie Lee Coston, Willie Lee Coston, Lorenzo Coston, and Nathaniel Coston.

She leaves to cherish her memory her six loving children, Rev. Frank Coston, Deborah Sneed, Phyllis (Oliver) Blount, Kenneth (Thresa) Coston, Anthony (Shareka) Coston, and Cecil (Catrina) Coston; one sister-in-law, Francis Mitchell; bonus grandchildren Myesha Hines, Kendra Hines, Markesha Young, Kenneth Young, and Sasha Young; thirty-one grandchildren, fifty-one great-grandchildren, five great-great-grandchildren, and a host of other relatives and friends.