Coker Cemetery Association, San Antonio, Texas

Coker Cemetery History #1 - December 2020

by Dr. Tom DeKunder

Julius and May DeKunder - 1910

Grandparents

They were the quintessential grandparents. Both represented the values and the embodiment of the Coker community. As kids from the Southside of San Antonio going to our grandparents’ dairy farm was an adventure. Both our grandparents gave unconditional love and care to us. They were truly the center of our lives especially during the 1950’s of our upbringing. May and Julius DeKunder were true members of the Coker community. They participated in all aspects of the community from Coker Methodist Church to Coker Rural school. Their farm was a working machine. Grandpa found a way from milking cows and a gravel pit and even a dump to make a living during the depression of the 1930’s and the seven-year drought of the 1950’s. Their work ethic was a central part of their day for survival during tough times.

Their family backgrounds were similar in regards to the history of this state. Fanny May was the daughter of Fannie Mae Hatch Coker and John Harrison Coker. She was one of ten children. Her family history was a Texas history lesson of the Texas Revolution. Fanny May was a relative of John Jack Coker who fought in the Battle of San Jacinto and of Captain Sylvanus Hatch who was part of the Sam Houston revolution force and assisted in the runaway scrape. She was also a force in keeping the Coker Methodist church going during early times. Julius was the son of a Dutch father who immigrated to the United States in the late 1890’s and of a German mother Josephine Schulmeier whose family was part of the Prince Carl Solms early colonization of Texas.

We were fortunate as grandchildren to have these great memories of our grandparents and their lives in the Coker Community. Both of our grandparents are buried in Coker Cemetery with Julius passing away in 1960 and May in 1966.