Obituary for J. Alton Coco

Mass of Christian Burial celebrating the life of Mr. J. Alton Coco will be held at 10:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28, at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Marksville, Louisiana, with Father Wade DeCoste officiating. Interment will follow at St. Joseph #1 Cemetery.
Arrangements are under the direction of Hixson Brothers Funeral Home in Marksville, Louisiana.
Mr. Coco, age 90, passed away at his residence in Marksville, Louisiana, on Saturday, April 25, 2026. He was preceded in death by his parents, J. Paul and Ura Jeansonne Coco, and one sister, Jane Barnett.
Mr. Coco was the plant manager at Allen Canning Company in Hessmer, Louisiana, for 30 years. He served as both a member and president of the Avoyelles Parish Sweet Potato
Association, the Louisiana Sweet Potato Association, and the Sweet Potato Advertising and Development Commission. He held the title of Mr. Yam in 1983.
Mr. J. Alton Coco was a dedicated member of St. Joseph Catholic Church, where he participated in weekly Rosary groups. He served as a school board member of Ward 2 and as its president in 1972. Mr. Coco was also a member of the Marksville Lions Club and served as its president in 1963. He was a past member of the Marksville Jaycees and served as its vice president in 1962. Mr. Coco graduated from Marksville High School in 1953 and from LSU in Baton Rouge in 1958, where he was a member of the Kappa Sigma fraternity. He proudly served in the U.S. Navy from April 1958 to June 1960.
Those left to cherish his memory include his wife of 65 years, Mary Anne Coco; one son, Scott Paul Coco (Kirsten) of Marksville; two daughters, Sally Coco (Keith Warren) of Baton Rouge and Susan Coco McGehee (Blake) of Baton Rouge; two half sisters, Paula Cuva and Lavinia “Sissy” Coco, both of Dallas, Texas; grandchildren, Sam Parker, Drew Parker, Spencer Coco (Caroline), Camille Coco (Michael), Bennett Coco, Tyler Juneau, and Morgan Juneau; and three step grandchildren.
Visitation will be held on Monday, April 27, from 5:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. in the chapel of Hixson Brothers Funeral Home. Visitation will reopen from 8:00 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in the chapel of Hixson Brothers. A recitation of the Holy
Rosary will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Monday, April 27, 2026.
Pallbearers honored to serve are Spencer Coco, Bennett Coco, Sam Parker, Drew Parker, Keith Warren, and Blake McGehee. Honorary pallbearers will be Robert McCann, Paul Laborde, and Michael Shelton.