Emily C Speakman's Obituary
Emily Louise Coburn Speakman passed away on March 10, 2026, at Baptist Memorial Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where she departed this earth to be welcomed into heaven by her Savior, Jesus Christ.
Emily was born on February 4, 1944, to Hubert and Louise Coburn of Brownsville, Tennessee, and she spent her childhood helping on the family farm. She graduated from Haywood County High School and attended Tennessee Tech University. It was there that she met Jim Speakman, whom she married on September 4, 1965. After stints in New York and Missouri, Jim and Emily eventually settled in Germantown, Tennessee, where they lived for 33 years before moving to rural Fayette County in 2011.
Emily lived a life of love put into action, and all who knew her recognized her spiritual gift of serving others. As a college student, she volunteered as resident pianist at the Baptist Student Union, where she and Jim began their relationship. She was also the BSU missions chair and served on a summer-long mission trip to Oregon and Washington.
As young adults, Emily and Jim joined Germantown Baptist Church and have been active members there since 1978. For more than a decade, Emily cherished celebrating young brides by organizing and managing dozens of wedding receptions as the chair of the Mother’s Wedding Reception Committee. Her favorite calling was teaching the love of God to two-year-old children, a role she joyfully carried out for over 20 years.
Emily’s service to her community included terms as PTA president at both Riverdale Elementary and Germantown High Schools. She also taught countless Vacation Bible School classes and was a frequent, familiar volunteer crossing guard at Riverdale.
Emily was a devoted and intentional student of God’s Word. Her bookshelves are filled with binders of her thorough study notes covering nearly every book of the Bible.
The treasures closest to Emily’s heart were her family members, and she served each one diligently and graciously. Many hours were spent sewing clothing and costumes, baking for school events, cheering on sports teams, and watching band concerts and dance recitals for her children and her grandchildren. They all revere her.
Emily was preceded in death by her parents.
She is survived by her husband, James N. Speakman, and by her children, Rosemary Turner (Joe) and Brandon Speakman (Katrina). She is also survived by her grandchildren, Hayley Hixon (Chris), Preston Turner, Hugh Speakman, and Jack Speakman, and by her great-granddaughter, Caroline Hixon. Her survivors also include her sisters, Harriet Coburn and Phyllis Wilson, and their families.
The family will receive friends at Germantown Baptist Church, 9450 Poplar Ave., Germantown, Tennessee, from 12:00 PM until funeral services at 1:30 PM.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial donations be made to
Germantown Baptist Church (https://germantownbaptist.org) and/or Mosaic Memphis Ministries (https://mosaicmemphis.org).
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