1923
William
2012
William L. Coats
February 4, 1923 — February 23, 2012
William L. Coats
William LeRoy (Bill) Coats, 89, passed away February 23, 2012 at his home in Logan, Utah, where he had resided for the past 9 months to be closer to family and loved ones.
Bill was born on February 4, 1923 to Vernon and Edna Coats in Pueblo, Colorado, the eldest of four children. Growing up, he was a gifted athlete earning All-Conference honors in both baseball and football, and receiving full-scholarship offers from five universities, ultimately attending University of Denver where he became a star catcher and running back. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he joined the Marine Corp., where he saw heavy combat, landing on the beaches of Iwo Jima and later serving in the occupational forces in Japan.
He was very successful in the business world, as well, becoming General Agent for Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co. (Oakland, CA), President of Wespac Hawaii Financial Corp. (Honolulu, Hawaii), President of Western America Corp. (Salt Lake City, Utah), and President of William L. Coats & Associates, an Estate Pension and Financial Planning organization.
A convert to the Mormon Church, he served over many years in a number of leadership positions, including Stake Mission President, High Councilor, Bishop and a Temple Ordinance Worker in the Hawaii, Mesa, Arizona and Logan, Utah temples.
He was predeceased by his first wife Bonnie (Meyer) Coats and his second wife of nearly 50 years, Dorisse (Thomassen) Coats. He is survived by his brother, Ted, and sisters, Barbara and Eddie, and by five children, Sandy Renaud, Kathleen Betz, David Coats (Maryanne), Brian Kelley (Suzie) and Paul Coats (Melissa), twenty-six grandchildren and forty-five great grandchildren.
In golf, Bill Coats always hit a hard, long and straight drive, and that was pretty much the way he lived his life. He was a man of great character, true to his word, a hero in wartime, in his community and to his family. He was a loving and caring, husband, father, grandfather and friend to many, and he will be sorely missed.
A memorial service will be held tonight, Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 6:30 PM at the Pioneer Valley Lodge, 2351 North 400 East in North Logan, Utah.
Funeral services will be held at noon, Saturday, March 3rd at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Catalina Ward Building, located at 55 West Arrowsmith Drive, Oro Valley, Arizona, 85755, with internment immediately thereafter at Binghamton Cemetery, Tucson, Arizona. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.allenmortuaries.net
William LeRoy (Bill) Coats, 89, passed away February 23, 2012 at his home in Logan, Utah, where he had resided for the past 9 months to be closer to family and loved ones.
Bill was born on February 4, 1923 to Vernon and Edna Coats in Pueblo, Colorado, the eldest of four children. Growing up, he was a gifted athlete earning All-Conference honors in both baseball and football, and receiving full-scholarship offers from five universities, ultimately attending University of Denver where he became a star catcher and running back. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor, he joined the Marine Corp., where he saw heavy combat, landing on the beaches of Iwo Jima and later serving in the occupational forces in Japan.
He was very successful in the business world, as well, becoming General Agent for Penn Mutual Life Insurance Co. (Oakland, CA), President of Wespac Hawaii Financial Corp. (Honolulu, Hawaii), President of Western America Corp. (Salt Lake City, Utah), and President of William L. Coats & Associates, an Estate Pension and Financial Planning organization.
A convert to the Mormon Church, he served over many years in a number of leadership positions, including Stake Mission President, High Councilor, Bishop and a Temple Ordinance Worker in the Hawaii, Mesa, Arizona and Logan, Utah temples.
He was predeceased by his first wife Bonnie (Meyer) Coats and his second wife of nearly 50 years, Dorisse (Thomassen) Coats. He is survived by his brother, Ted, and sisters, Barbara and Eddie, and by five children, Sandy Renaud, Kathleen Betz, David Coats (Maryanne), Brian Kelley (Suzie) and Paul Coats (Melissa), twenty-six grandchildren and forty-five great grandchildren.
In golf, Bill Coats always hit a hard, long and straight drive, and that was pretty much the way he lived his life. He was a man of great character, true to his word, a hero in wartime, in his community and to his family. He was a loving and caring, husband, father, grandfather and friend to many, and he will be sorely missed.
A memorial service will be held tonight, Sunday, February 26, 2012 at 6:30 PM at the Pioneer Valley Lodge, 2351 North 400 East in North Logan, Utah.
Funeral services will be held at noon, Saturday, March 3rd at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Catalina Ward Building, located at 55 West Arrowsmith Drive, Oro Valley, Arizona, 85755, with internment immediately thereafter at Binghamton Cemetery, Tucson, Arizona. Condolences may be sent to the family at www.allenmortuaries.net
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of William L. Coats, please visit our flower store.
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