Evelyn Doris Coffield

Evelyn Doris Coffield, 72, passed away on Feb. 13, 2011 from Diabetes at the Alderwood Convalescent Center in Bellingham, WA. Evelyn was born in Bellingham, WA to Fred and Doris Maneval on Aug. 25, 1938. She is survived by her children Donald Coffield of Oroville, CA, Lisa Brown of Bellingham, WA, Fred Coffield of Soldotna, AK, Michelle Coffield of Soldotna, AK, Tereasa Funke of Smyrna, GA, and Jack Coffield of Chilliwack BC, Canada. She is also survived by her sister, Carolyn Hadley of Ferndale, WA. In addition to her children she is also survived by 16 grandchildren and 6 great-grandchildren. Evelyn was preceded in death by her parents Fred Maneval and Doris Maneval. She was also preceded in death by her two children James Norman Coffield and Michael Eldon Coffield. She grew up on a small farm in Lynden, WA and attended high school in Lynden, WA. Evelyn came to Fairbanks, AK in 1956 with her husband Truman and started raising a family. Three children came along while living in Fairbanks. Then the family moved to Anchorage just in time for the 1964 earthquake and five more children rumbled in behind it! After divorcing in 1976 she went to work for Providence Hospital and Westward Hilton Hotel. She then moved to Soldotna, AK where she worked odd jobs, made many friends, and spent time with her children and could always be found drinking coffee at Sourdough Sal's. Evelyn moved on to Kotzebue working for the city cooking meals for prisoners in its jail. She then moved back to Soldotna until 1989. Evelyn permanently left Alaska to travel many places including Florida, Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas. She finally settled in Bellingham, WA for the remainder of her life. While in Bellingham she worked as an in-home healthcare provider, splitting her time between clients, children, and grandchildren. Mom never lost her love for Alaska, but lost her ability to travel after suffering a stroke in the late 1990s. Some of her pastimes were singing, playing the piano, baking, sewing and knitting. She was an accomplished artist particularly with scrimshaw and free-style drawing a painting. She was best known for her mischievous sense of humor. She was a loving mother and a dear friend. She will be greatly missed.