Grant Coffman

Grant Deward Coffman, Jr. was born on November 9, 1958, to Mrs. Hazel Facey and the Rev Dr. Grant D.Coffman, Sr.in Washington, DC. He was the eldest of three siblings - Samuel and Carlos Coffman. He accepted Christ at an early age at Carmody Hills Baptist Church in Seat Pleasant, Maryland where he served as an usher and was a member of the Young Adult Choral Ensemble. When he moved to Austin, Texas, he joined Wesley United Methodist Church and was an active member of Wesley's Usher Board until he began having health challenges that prevented him from attending services regularly.

He graduated from Crossland Senior High School in Camp Springs, Maryland and attended Bowie State College (now Bowie State University) where he received his Bachelor of Science Degree in Psychology. After graduating from college, he moved to Austin, Texas to help take care of his great aunts - Mrs. Lucy Marshall and Ms. Viola Grant. Soon after, his youngest brother Samuel and his parents followed him to Texas. Grant's love for cars led him to work for the Pavilion Lincoln Mercury Dealership and later as an automotive claims adjuster for the State Farm and Crawford Insurance companies.

Years later he moved to Atlanta, Georgia. While still working for Crawford Insurance Company, he received a temporary assignment to the Bahamas where he lived for almost two years. He was also involved in starting several businesses in Austin. One included a boutique that specialized in unique one- of-a-kind handcrafted clothing and accessories located in the Renaissance Hotel - Downtown. However, he will always be remembered for being a partner of the Catfish Station Restaurant/Jazz Club - Austin, Texas and a founding member of the Catfish Station - Atlanta, Georgia, with his friends Marcus Walls and Homer Hill. His love for people and the restaurant business also provided him with the opportunity to work with several well-known local and international recording stars. Several of whom would become close life-long friends.
Grant returned to Austin after living in Atlanta and the Washington, DC Metro Area. He had an insatiable desire for eating out and trying new restaurants. But he also enjoyed watching the Food Network Channels where he would learn to make dishes that would often be on Sunday's dinner menu at home. Like his father Grant, Sr., who loved driving and exploring new and exciting places, he never failed to be the official restaurant and sightseeing tour guide anytime friends and family would visit Austin even if it was not their very first time visiting. A dreamer at heart, he often spoke of one day opening a restaurant or cafe that would pay homage to the rich legacy of East Austin. If you really knew him, you would know one of his biggest dreams was to someday restore his 1979 Black Pontiac Firebird Trans Am with the screaming chicken that he drove to Austin in 80s from Maryland.
We may say that Grant's life ended too soon when he was called home to Glory, but God always knows what's best. Throughout his battle with illness, he always had hope and an encouraging word for family members, friends, and whomever he met. His loving parents, grandparents, aunts, and uncles preceded him in death. Grant was survived by his younger brothers: Samuel Coffman (Austin, TX) and Carlos Coffman (Mitchellville, MD), aunt Clara Jenkins (Oxon Hill, MD), uncle Roberto Facey (Oxon Hill, MD), cousins who were more like siblings: Connie Tate (Dallas, Texas), Gwendolyn Hill (Mesquite, TX), Morris Hill (Cedar Hill), Raul and Iosief Hernandez (Austin, TX), Laurene Muench ( Boulder, CO), LaFrance Ford (Dallas, TX), Stephen Courtney (Honolulu, HI),Sabrina Scott (Atlanta, GA), Sabrina Jauregui (Las Vegas, NV), Jenetha Marshall and Soralla Facey de Otts (Bowie, MD), Eric Jenkins (Fort Washington, MD), Carlos Perez (Oxon Hill, MD), and Robert Facey, Jr. (Washington, DC). He also leaves to cherish his memories Amy, Candace and Essence Betts and special friends who were like siblings including Alex Brown (Austin, TX), Kirk Whalum (Memphis, TN), LaMonica Lewis, Kyle Turner, Debe Brown, Deborah "Mickey" Stevens, and a host of so other relatives and dear friends.