JOHN ISAAC COFFMAN

John Isaac Coffman, Jr., of Victorville, passed away peacefully on Feb. 8, 2011, of age-related causes. He was 87. He was born on Mar. 3, 1923, in Laton, CA, to John and Roxana Coffman. He grew up in the Central Valley and graduated from McFarland High School in 1940. He graduated from La Verne College in 1945. He went on to earn a secondary teaching credential at Claremont Graduate School and a master's degree at Los Angeles State College. He married Lena Ott on July 20, 1945, in Live Oak, CA. The couple moved to Victorville, where John taught junior and senior high school for twenty years. They divorced after thirty-one years of marriage. After moving to La Verne in 1966, he worked as a financial planner. He married Frances Lynette "Lyn" Doyle (nee Defoe) on Nov. 25, 1976, in Fresno. They were residents of Pomona and Hesperia. Lyn died suddenly in 2004. Four years later John moved to the Sterling Inn senior community in Victorville. He resided at the adjacent Sterling Commons for the last three months of his life. He maintained his trademark sense of humor to the end. John had a lifelong fondness for the mountains and desert and loved camping, hiking, exploring old roads, and spoiling his cats. He and Lyn cherished the times they spent with family and friends at their Dinkey Creek cabin in the Sierra Nevada. John was a devoted volunteer for many years with the Al-Anon Inland Empire Service Center. John touched the lives of many with his smile and generosity and will be remembered by family and friends for his warmth, charm, and willingness to help those in need. He is survived by three daughters, Andrea Coffman of Eugene, OR, Valerie Coffman of Northridge, CA, and Suzanne Coffman of Grand Forks, ND; a son, Robert Coffman of St. Paul, MN; a stepdaughter, Lori Eaton of Mountain Grove, MO; a stepson, William Michael "Mike" Doyle of Clovis, CA; two brothers, David of Nipomo, CA, and Richard of Escondido, CA; two granddaughters; two step-grandsons; seven nephews; and two nieces. A memorial service will be held at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 26, at the Sterling Inn (Regency Room), 17738 Francesca Rd., Victorville, (760) 245-2999. Arrangements are by Victor Valley Mortuary in Victorville, (760) 245-8164. Memorial donations may be made to the Al-Anon Inland Empire Service Center, 1012 E. Cooley Dr., Suite J, Colton, CA 92324; or the PAL Humane Society, 22148 Highway 18 Apple Valley, CA 92307.