Funeral services for Cordell “Coach” Hull are 10 a.m. Saturday at the old Spiro Gym with burial to follow in the Cowlington Cemetery, under the direction of Mallory-Martin Funeral Home of Spiro.
Open casket viewing is 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Friday with the family visiting with friends from 6-8 p.m. at the funeral home (closed casket). In lieu of flowers the family would like donations to be made to Cowlington Cemetery Association c/o Doris Perry, 27751 Tucker Road, Spiro, Oklahoma 74959 or dropped off at Mallory-Martin Funeral Home.
Cordell Hull passed from this life just two weeks before his 80th birthday Jan. 27, 2024. He was born to Arvel and Irene Hull.
There was never a more colorful character than Cordell Hull. He felt most comfortable in his worn-out blue jeans with paint all over them and an old button-down shirt painting a for sale sign, trailer or even the occasional house. Not many men have had a higher work ethic than him, all the way back to his hay hauling days when eight huge hay trucks would be taking thousands of bales into Arkansas. He could roll a haybale into whatever place he wanted. He also always talked of his boxing days. I think down deep he always wanted to be a professional boxer; not sure if anyone ever bested him in a fist fight.
Cordell was always full of sports stories from playing ball with Jack Briley or when he was coaching his Spiro freshman football team. He loved his teammates and players all dearly, and some of them were even his hay haulers. He even like to tell stories about when he coached his own daughter throughout her high school career. They both hung up their Bulldog uniforms when she graduated. In fact, the Lady Bulldogs have not won a county tournament since he retired. Cordell coached at Adair, Spiro, Vian, Panama, Heavener, Bokoshe, Gans and back to Spiro.
If you knew Cordell, he was always trying to make the next dollar. He enjoyed trading on old Brahman bulls here and there. While selling trailers or lumber, he would stay up late at night trying to figure out his next big business adventure, usually with a sharpie on white poster board. Whenever there were good deals to be had, you could always find him in the midst of it. Has anyone kept a record of how many times he had a closeout auction only to get bored and open Coach’s Lumber again? I always knew he never stopped working because he thought if he slowed down, he would die.
Cordell also loved to laugh and was a vivid joke teller. No matter what you were doing or what was going on, he always made sure you made the time to listen to his latest joke. He probably could recall over 1,000 jokes!
He was baptized along with his wife in 1965, and they worshipped at the Tucker Church of Christ. He also enjoyed leading singing at the Tucker Church of Christ. He would sit out before church services on his back deck and go through the song book looking for songs to sing that day. And when he saw a favorite hymn, well of course he had to sing a few verses of it; if only just to himself!
He also loved his kids, grandkids and great grand babies dearly. Always trying to go to their ball games and cow shows when he could. He also liked to frequent the Leflore County Sale Barn.
After his wife of almost 60 years passed, his life was very lonely. But he tried filling it with busyness because he deeply missed his high school sweetheart. I’m not sure if many knew what a wonderful caretaker Cordell was to Pat Pat. He did his very best to always try and keep her spirits up, take care of her needs, and put his life on hold during the time she was sick. He even tried his hand at making gravy, but boxed cake mixes were his specialty.
A week prior to his passing, Coach Hull was inducted into the Leflore County Basketball Hall of Fame. If you were there, you were able to witness something not many people have seen. They gave him the microphone, which is a dangerous thing to do. However, Coach Hull led the entire gym in praise to God. He sang “Do Lord, O do Lord, O do remember me”. Hopefully that night a few lives were brightened and maybe a few thought about their own salvation!
In recent months, he had received some concerning health news involving long treatments, however what a wonderful gift our Lord gave him ending his life so peacefully.
For those who knew him, you either loved him or you might have gotten into it with him a time or two (or both). Either way, your life was made a little more colorful. And shouldn’t we try to make our lives more colorful?
Remembering Cordell Hull are his children Chad, Jody, Ronn & Summer, and their spouses, 14 grandchilren, and two great grandchildren, his sisters Connie and Mona Jo, numerous hay haulers and countless ball players he has coached through the years.
Pallbearers are Southern Cates, Kaleb Hull, Tucker Cates, Camryn Hull, Noble Cates, Jett Gillespie, Bryan Darneal, and Leroy Orr. Honorary pallbearers are Coach’s former hay haulers, ball players and lumber workers.
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