Raymond Isaac Coffey

Decatur

Raymond Isaac Coffey, 73, passed away on June 4, 2009, at Decatur General Hospital. He was born in Wheeler and graduated from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y., in 1958. He was married to Geraldine McRoberts Coffey and resided in Decatur for the last 35 years. He served in the United States Army and National Guard and then with the Central Intelligence Agency for nearly eight years in Bangkok, Thailand, between 1966 and 1974. He was the son of the late Hubert C. and Ella Lou Coffey of Wheeler. In 2008, he retired from farming in Lawrence County. He was very active in many community activities including serving as President of The Friends of the General Joe Wheeler Foundation, The Friends of the Wheeler Basin Library, and on the board of other organizations. He and his wife, Gerry, have been prominent advocates and well-known spokesperson for their Healthy Alternatives Vegan Lifestyle and have served as subject matter experts at many National and International Vegetarian Congresses and Symposiums.
Viewing will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday, June 7, 2009, at Parkway Funeral Home. Funeral will be at 10:30 a.m. Monday, June 8, 2009, in the funeral home chapel.
Burial will be in Courtland City Cemetery.
He is survived by his wife, Gerry Coffey, his daughter, Carol Coffey of Huntsville, his son, David Coffey of Bangkok, Thailand, his daughter, Valerie Coffey of Huntsville, his son, Darryl Coffey of Decatur, and his ten grandchildren, Sean Coffey, Lindsey Coffey, Jon Isaac Coffey, Greg Coffey, Jessica Coffey, Kasey Coffey, Cecil Coffey, Jackson Coffey and Colette Coffey.
In lieu of flowers, the family request that donations be made to The Friends of the General Joe Wheeler Foundation, 28 Sandra Lane, Athens, AL 35611, for more information see: http://www.wheelerplantation.org/friends_info.htm.
This obituary was originally published in the Decatur Daily.