Peter Coe

1941 - 2025

Peter Coe
Born: October 10, 1941
Died: May 16, 2025

Peter Coe, Ph.D. of St. Charles (Campton Hills), Illinois, passed away at age 83 on May 16, 2025, following a short hospitalization.

Peter was born to David and Emma Coe on October 10, 1941, in Marlborough, Massachusetts. He was the youngest of three brothers. He attended St. Mark's school in nearby Southborough, where his father was athletic director. Peter was a mischievous kid who kept his mother on her toes while growing up with his two brothers, Bob and John. He and John loved egging each other on, especially when it came to teasing their more buttoned-up brother Bob.

Peter was a gifted athlete and attended Syracuse University on full wrestling and lacrosse scholarships, recognized as a lacrosse All-American. He originally studied forestry but switched majors to psychology when he learned he was interested in analyzing his classmates' dreams. During his young adulthood, Peter was an avid mountain climber, tackling such challenging climbs as sheer ice faces on Baffin Island north of the Arctic Circle.

After graduating in 1963, he was drafted into the United States Army and later volunteered to serve in Vietnam. In 1979, he earned his doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the University of Chicago. Throughout his career as a clinical psychologist, he remained deeply fascinated by human behavior and had a rare ability to empathize, even with those who were hardest to understand. His experiences in Vietnam would also fuel his drive to work with hundreds of veterans to treat PTSD and other service-related emotional issues.

Peter met the love of his life, Beverly, while they worked together on an alcoholism treatment unit. Peter and Bev's mutual love of nature, hiking, dogs, and having a good laugh was the basis of a life full of love, adventure, and happiness. Peter and Bev found a spiritual home at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Geneva, where Peter devoted himself to work supporting veterans, mental health initiatives, and the Lazarus House homeless shelter, among many other contributions to the community.

Peter loved reading and talking about such lighthearted topics as war, disease, and the end of the world. He enjoyed traveling and took his family to almost every national park in the US and Canada. Despite all this exposure to nature, his son David ended up in New York City. Peter always enjoyed visiting the city and observing how so many people from diverse cultures could get along in such close quarters.

Peter was endlessly curious, deeply intelligent, and had a sharp, provocative sense of humor. His gift for saying things just outrageous enough to make you think, laugh, or occasionally both will be sorely missed.

Peter is survived by wife Beverly Coe; son David Coe (Wayne Petro); step-son Jeffrey Evenson (Stacey Evenson) and their children Jack and Terra Evenson; step-daughter Jody Evenson (Thomas Taylor, Jr.) and their child Sam Taylor. Peter is also survived by his sister-in-law Jane Coe; nieces Cati Coe (Cheryl Shipman) and Cindy Coe (Matt Altman); nephew Justin Coe (Lindsey Coe), and niece Kirsten Kryder Coe (Molly Costanza-Robinson). He was predeceased by his parents, his brothers John and Robert Coe, and his sister-in-law Julee Kryder Coe.

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, July 12, 2025 at 2 pm at the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva in Geneva, IL.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Unitarian Universalist Society of Geneva, where Peter was an active member, or to Midwest Shelter for Homeless Veterans, supporting homeless veterans, a cause close to his heart.