Charlie Andrew Christopher Coffen

Our little Charlie Charlie Farley because of his love of Farley's rusks (baby biscuits) & aka Charlie chalk ( English childrens cartoon character ) & later sunshine.Because his smile literally lit up a room. You wanted to see that smile.
The day he was born 12th February 1996 is etched in my memory because even from day 1 he was not waiting around for anyone. From the first labour pain to pushing himself into the world it was a very quick couple of hours. There was no time for pain relief & at one point I didn't think I'd make the hospital, and that's pretty much how he was.
He was an easy child. Happy to amuse himself with his toys & always pretty chilled.
If charlie decided to do something that was what he was doing. He was strong willed.( somewhat stubborn ) From a young age he would entertain others.He could always make us smile. He would always strike a pose when he saw the camera pointed his way.He had a fantastic sense of humour. He always could tell a great story.Whoever he loved, he would love fiercely.He has always been a hugger.. his hugs were some of the best. He was kind & polite & considerate. He was always brave. Despite being older,Sian would always send Charlie in first, close in age they looked after each other.But I think he mostly looked after her. And she would try & ' manage' him which occasionally resulted in disagreements. But they would make up as quickly as they fell out. And he would always be unfazed by anything.
Not overly academic he struggled at school but we were yet to have the school acknowledge that he was dyslexic. This did not hold stop him trying at school even though he didn't have the easiest time.
He loved being a big brother to obie when he arrived & was a great role model. He would always say he couldn't wait to teach him stuff & take him places. Despite an 8 year age gap they got on very well & I remember how excited they both were when Charlie passed his driving test & got a car. Off they would go together out cruising listening to tunes. I would worry, Charlie would tell me not to, then only recently he admitted what speeds he could get out of that old first car.
But Charlie didn't suffer fools. He would call them out, or laugh at them. Outspoken & often blunt but always brutally honest.He was also unable to tell a lie. One time when they were little some chocolate disappeared from the very top of the fridge, asking sian & Charlie if they'd eaten it ( there was evidence on their faces ) there was denial. I looked right at each of them & asked ' is that the truth ?' With that Charlie starts telling me in great detail how sian had moved the chair, he'd helped her climb up & she got the chocolate & they had shared it all & eaten it but now he felt sick & he was sorry.
There are so many other stories like that. Largely involving his cousin's Luke & Ollie who he spent a lot of time with growing up.
He got really into skateboards & scooters when he was at secondary school. So most weekends were skateparks he was absolutely fearless even back then. Most of the time I couldn't watch.One thing they don't tell you when you have kids is that you'll pretty much be worried for the rest of your life. I have always worried.. when he'd tell me about his track days I'd be worrying but something he's always said to me is 'mum,just Chill. Don't stress.
Another thing Charlie was good at is sleep. He could literally sleep anywhere. He has fallen asleep standing up at a firework display.
He slept though the most horrendous boat trip while everyone else on the boat was throwing up.
An entire evening wedding reception.
A Huge thunder& lightning storm.
Sometimes I'd be talking to him on a Sunday and he'd start to nod off mid conversation. But I didn't mind. Those Sunday calls were my favourite part of the week. For the last 8 years. Every Sunday he has called home. We will be forever grateful for those calls & those weekly updates of his life in the U.S with Darby & the boys.
28 years young & Charlie has achieved more than most. He didn't just talk about it he did it. And whatever he did he would do well. A hard worker he was never shy of work.At 17 he decided college wasn't for him so he decided he'd get a full time job instead. I remember him telling us he wanted to be in car sales as it was good money. The very next day he put on a suit & tie & walked around all the dealers. At the end of that day he had a job. The guy said he couldn't turn him down. He ended up being the youngest top salesman !Whatever he set his mind to he would achieve. He always wanted to be a dad. He couldn't wait. And what an amazing dad he was. He thrived in that role & I loved seeing how great he was at parenting.
He wanted to set up his own business. He did & he was very talented at his craft.He wanted to play piano, he learnt it well. He decided he wanted to ride motorbikes professionally..he did, and smashed it. He could even sing. He was a great videographer & photographer.I'm not even doing justice to all the amazing things he did. We are nothing but proud. Growing up our children didn't have everything they may have wanted. But they had so much love & support & we did lots of things as a family. We have always encouraged them to do what makes them happy & to be nothing but themselves. There is nothing they can't do if they put their mind do it. He certainly proved that to be true.
When he left home for America aged 20 we were all devastated but he promised us he'd be gone a year.. and then he met Darby and the rest, and the last 8 years is her story to tell
We promise you that from now on we will all ' be more Charlie ' and don't worry, we will always be there for the boys & Darby.
Charlie and I met on the online dating app, "Tinder", in November of 2016. Our first date was on December 1st, 2016. We went to The Pie Underground in Salt Lake City, Utah and then walked around Temple Square and looked at the Christmas lights, and quite literally skipped, arms linked together, in the visitor's center. We hung out every single day after that and became the best of friends. We started dating a day after my birthday, April 3rd, 2017, and got engaged in September of 2017. We were civilly married on December 1st, 2017 (on that day, because it was exactly a year after we met). For the next 5 years, for our anniversary, we would recreate our first date.
Charlie got baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on March 24th, 2018 by his best friend, Matt Peel. The missionaries that taught Charlie were an absolute perfect match for him. Tom was a convert, just like Charlie. He was able to connect with Charlie on so many levels. Sam was young and very empathetic towards those in the scriptures and helped Charlie to better understand the scriptures, and Joseph Smith. All three of these amazing men live in, or have moved to, Utah and have stayed close friends.
Our first son, George, was born on March 23rd, 2019. Charlie was an amazing dad. He loved snuggles, and doing anything he could to be with us. We became his whole world. All three of us were sealed for eternity in the Salt Lake, Utah Temple on June 8th, 2019. Our second son, Henry, was born on November 9th, 2020. We could not be happier. All he wanted to do was to be with those boys. He loved spending time with them. Some days, I would get out of bed in the morning to see Charlie and one, or both, of the boys building a massive train track in the living room before he had to go to work. They also loved to build Lego with him. They all became obsessed. Charlie also loved to just sit and cuddle and watch movies with them. I think that was his favorite thing to do with them, and all of us. He just wanted to cuddle and be close to us all.
When I first met Charlie, he told me about his "American Dream": to get married, have a family, and start a successful business. He achieved all of that and so much more.
Charlie started his own carpentry business, Charles Andrew Woodworks, in 2019, in my dad's garage. He had no idea what he was doing, but boy, was he determined. He became very successful, and his business grew rapidly. He taught himself how to build anything you could imagine. And if he had never built it before, he'd figure it out. He never drew up any plans, as he always kept those to himself in his head. He had employees, worked alone, worked alongside friends, and even hired me, his wife, to work with him for some time. We had the best of time together, and we worked very well together. I kept him on his toes, and he made sure to teach me how to read a tape measure nearly every day.
Charlie always had a passion, a dream, to race. He had a dream since he was young to race cars. He never got the chance to race cars, but he did get to race motorcycles. He became known in the motorcycle community fairly quickly for his determination and his ability to ride so well for being so new. He eventually gained a team, and the name he chose for their team was American Dream Racing. Within two years of being a team, they gained, I believe, 6 sponsors, one being Carl's Jr. Racing became his life, and he was supported so strongly by his family and friends, every step of the way.
Charlie is my best friend. He had the sweetest smile that would light up any room, he gave the best hugs, and he never quite knew how to calm me down and would always say, "suck it up, buttercup", which didn't work very well. We made so many wonderful memories together. He was "my size", and I miss him so much.
Charlie's life ended on July 27th, 2024 while riding a dirt bike. He was doing what he absolutely loved. He will always be remembered for his courage, determination, talent, and so much more. I know that he is still with us, and that he is watching over his family alongside Big Nan. We are all so blessed to have had him in our lives and change us for the better, and we will miss him dearly.