BERYL D. COATES

BERYL D. COATES HINESBURG - Beryl D. Coates, 85, died on Nov. 29, 2010 after several years of declining health. He died where he was born on Texas Hill in Hinesburg. Beryl was born on April 18, 1925, the son of Lutie and Emily (King) Coates. He received his education in Hinesburg's Mechanicsville Schoolhouse. Beryl met Blanche Perry of Brownington through a lonely hearts club and three months later they were married on Feb. 28, 1949 at St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Orleans. They were together for the next 47 years, until Blanche's death in 1996. After a honeymoon in New York City, they returned to the Coates family farm on Texas Hill. Upon the sudden death of his father in 1951, Beryl took over operation of the farm. He did work briefly for what is now Iroquois Manufacturing and in the early 1970's drove a school bus at Champlain Valley Union High School. In the late 1950's, he opened BC's Gun Shop at the farm. It was later renamed the Longhorn Gun Shop. He continued to operate the farm and gun shop until retirement in 1986. Upon his retirement, he spent many hours in his basement woodworking shop creating furniture and many other wooden items for family and friends. In his later years, he liked to sit outside in nice weather, smoke a cigar, and wave to his neighbors as they drove by. Beryl is survived by his son, Gill; daughters, Kim and Elly; Elly's husband, Rob Farley; granddaughter, Sage Coates-Farley; and grandson, Graham Coates-Farley; his sister's children and their families, Marlene (John) Coffey, Grayson (Patty) Robinson, Craig Robinson, and Steve Robinson; his sisters-in-law, Claire Lyon, Loretta (Dale) McCoy, Clemence LeBlond, Mary Ann (Raymond) Darling, Irene Perry, May Perry, Shirley Perry, and their families; his brotherin-law, Leon (Mary) Perry; and special friends, Patty Dunn, Victor Morrison, and their family; and also 24 surviving State of Vermont foster children of the 26 he and Blanche cared for over the course of 20 years. Beryl was predeceased by his parents; his wife; two infant children; his sister and brother-in-law, Mavis and Leon Robinson; his wife's parents, Ezekiel and Cecile Perry; brothers-inlaw, Harold Lyon, Maurice Perry, Noel Perry, and Francis Perry; nieces, Sally Lyon and Sharon (Robinson) Lethbridge; nephew, Daniel LeBlond; good friends, Marea, Eddie, and Will Tucker, and Bill Adams; as well as two foster children. His family wishes to thank his doctors over the years, Ted Fink, John Reynolds, and Jim Ulager. It is difficult to put into words how much we appreciate and how much we thank his VNA caregivers, Bambi, Kristina, Barbara, Sheila and those who occasionally filled in when his regular caregivers could not be with him; the VNA Community Care Connection and Long-Term Care staff members, Mary and Heidi; the VNA Palliative Care and Hospice nurses, Mary, Claire, and Lori; and his Chittenden County Agency on Aging case workers, Leta and Jennifer. You are all "Beryl's Beauties!" Thank you as well to the VNA staff members who worked behind the scenes to help with Beryl's care. Visiting hours will be from 2 to 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 2 at the Ready Funeral & Cremation Service South Chapel, 261 Shelburne Road in Burlington. A private committal prayer service will be held in the Hinesburg Village Cemetery on Friday, Dec. 3. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Visiting Nurse Association, 1110 Prim Road, Colchester, VT 05446. To send online condolences to the family please visit www.readyfuneral.com