Coy was born on a farm 5 1/2 miles southeast of Stockton on the Sac River, the oldest of four children. At the age of 6, he entered a rural school called the Friendship School. His first teacher was Mary Simmons. At the age of 8, he with his mother, father, and brother, moved to a farm 6 miles southwest of Fair Play, MO, near 2 stores known as the Dixon Store and the Masters Store. Here he entered the Hartley School with Ethel Goodman, Bertha O'Bryant, George Kilpatrick and George Perry as teachers. Here he graduated from the 8th grade in 1921 under the supervision of George Perry. In 1922, he entered Bear Creek High School under Luther Simmons and spent his freshman and sophmore years there. The last two years of high school at Fair Play under Mr. R. Holman, graduating in 1925. Some of his teachers were Fred Gates, Cletus and Lucile Morgan, and Mrs. Kessler. His first teaching position was in the fall of 1925 at Mountain Grove, then at Collins, and Forest Grove, spending 8 years in the Bear Creek Consolidated School District. In 1932, he moved to Eudora School in Polk County for 2 years. Then 4 years at Orleans School east of Aldrich and back to Eudora School for 2 more years. He retired from teaching in 1940 and spent his time on a farm west of Eudora. He returned to teaching in 1946 at the Morrisville School as grade principal for 4 years and retiring in 1950, moving to a farm 2 1/2 miles west of Fair Play on Highway 32. Here he spent his time farming and from 1956-1964, he sold insurance for the New York Life Insurance Company. On June 26, 1927 he was united in marriage to Zelma Cora Fox, daughter of Tommy and Eliza Fox. She passed away on June 30, 1965. On March 30, 1972, he was united in marriage to Margaret A. Papenfuhs Kilburn, daughter of William and Hulda Papenfuhs. Coy and his brother Roy first met me when they came into Crazy Cecils. Then he met me again in the Farmers Exchange in Walnut Grove. About a week later, he asked me for a date. He didn't want an engagement, so we were married in the New Testament Christian Church on March 30, 1972. We lived on the farm. He had his first stroke on February 12, 1993. He had his second stroke in July 1994 and went to the Citizens Memorial Health Care Facility. He passed away September 27, 1994.

(Information from his 2d wife, Margaret Papenfuhs Kilburn Jones)