Emily Louise Coburn Speakman

Emily Louise Coburn Speakman passed away on March 10, 2026, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee. Born on February 4, 1944, to Hubert and Louise Coburn of Brownsville, Tennessee, she grew up helping on the family farm. She graduated from Haywood County High School and attended Tennessee Tech University, where she met Jim Speakman. They married on September 4, 1965. After living in New York and Missouri, they settled in Germantown, Tennessee, where they resided for 33 years before moving to rural Fayette County in 2011.

Emily lived a life of quiet, consistent service to others. A gifted pianist, she volunteered as resident pianist at the Baptist Student Union during college and served as missions chair, including a summer mission trip to Oregon and Washington. She and Jim joined Germantown Baptist Church in 1978 and remained active members for decades. She organized and managed dozens of wedding receptions for young brides and, for more than 20 years, joyfully taught two-year-olds in Sunday school, sharing with them the love of God. She also served her community as PTA president at Riverdale Elementary and Germantown High Schools, taught Vacation Bible School, and volunteered regularly as a crossing guard at Riverdale.

A devoted student of Scripture, Emily filled her bookshelves with detailed study notes covering nearly every book of the Bible. Yet her greatest joy remained her family. She spent countless hours sewing clothes and costumes, baking for school events, cheering at games, and attending band concerts and dance recitals for her children and grandchildren, serving each one with diligence and grace.

Emily was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by her husband, James N. Speakman; her children, Rosemary Turner (Joe) and Brandon Speakman (Katrina); her grandchildren, Hayley Hixon (Chris), Preston Turner, Hugh Speakman, and Jack Speakman; her great-granddaughter, Caroline Hixon; and her sisters, Harriet Coburn and Phyllis Wilson, along with their families.