Matthew Coble

Matthew Thomas "Matt" Coble, 36, of 2017 Downing Court, passed away in Greensboro on Thursday, Aug. 9, 2012. He is survived by his son, Ryan Coble; mother, Debby Coble; sister, Misty Hedspeth; brother-in-law, Matt Hedspeth; nephew, Peter Hedspeth; niece, Rosemary Hedspeth; grandparents, Anne Thompson, P.J. Coble and Donna Coble. Coble was born on December 20, 1975, in Lynchburg, VA, to Tom Coble deceased January 20, 2012 and Debby Coble. He attended Alamance Christian School in Graham, NC, and Williams High School in Burlington, NC. He enjoyed playing soccer and football and was awarded the "Hustle Award" by Coach Sam Storey for the 1993-94 football season. The son of an accomplished pilot, Coble was active in the Civil Air Patrol in his youth. He set his sites on getting his pilot's license and did his solo flight at age 16. During George Bush Sr.'s 1992 campaign, Coble and his sister, Misty, got to meet the president and even received a hand-written absence excuse note to take to school. After graduating from Williams High School in 1994, Coble attended Liberty University. He soon determined that his best education was working alongside his father in the family business, Coble Rents. Over the course of his business career, Coble worked closely with his father, Tom, and managed logistics for Coble Cranes & Equipment and Coble Trench Safety. "Matt and Tom had a special father/son bond," said Debby. "They accomplished so much together. Tom had a lot of confidence in Matt's ability to get things done, and Matt was always up for a challenge - the tougher the better." At his father's funeral in January, 2012, Coble described his father as a man he respected deeply and appreciated for his faith and generosity. Coble went on international mission trips to Nepal, Haiti and Africa with his father and New Directions International, which had a significant impact on him. He had a soft spot for orphanages and pro-life causes. "We are making arrangements for Tom and Matt to lie in state next to each other," Debby said. " They had such a special love for each other, I can't imagine it any other way." As a tribute to Coble's passion for defending the rights of the unborn, the Coble family is creating the Matt Coble Children's Memory Garden at Alamance Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be directed to Heart's Cry Children Ministry www.heartscrychildren.com. The visitation will be from 6-8 p.m. Monday, August 13, at Lowe Funeral Home in Burlington. The funeral will be 2 p.m. on Tuesday, August 14, at Harvest Baptist Church in Burlington.