Daniel P. Coffey Sr.

Daniel "Dan" Coffey, Sr. passed away peacefully on May 29, 2025 at the Maine Veterans' Home in Scarborough, at the age of 75.
Dan was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on September 20, 1949, to Walter and Pauline Coffey. He grew up watching Coast Guard vessels on the Merrimack River, and his first love was the sea. He enlisted in the Coast Guard in 1969 and had a distinguished 20-year career in which he rose to the rank of Chief Warrant Officer and received numerous honors for his service. On his last tour of duty, he achieved his career goal of commanding a 133-foot buoy tender, the USCGC White Sage, stationed in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
While home on leave early in his Coast Guard career, Dan started dating a girl from high school, Sue Richard. They got engaged, Dan sold his Harley Sportster so they could buy their first home, and they wed in 1974 in Newburyport.
Dan was stationed in South Portland in 1981, where he and Sue bought a home to which they returned with their two children after his Coast Guard retirement in 1989. Dan obtained a degree in automotive technology from Southern Maine Technical College in the early 1990's. He loved helping others and found his niche driving for the Regional Transportation Program for many years. He also served on the Portland Harbor Commission for several years.
Dan loved being near or on the ocean, taking care of projects at home, working on cars, Harley Davidsons, the Red Sox, the Patriots, ice cream, and music (especially the Eagles, the Doobie Brothers, and Jackson Browne).
Dan leaves behind Sue, his wife of 50 years, who loved him deeply and supported him throughout his struggle with dementia, which he faced with courage and dignity. He is also survived by his son Daniel, Jr. of South Portland and his daughter Melissa and her partner, Tyler Dostie, of Portland; his siblings, Marilyn McKeen of Newbury, Massachusetts, Gerald Coffey and wife Jacqueline of Atkinson, New Hampshire, Mary Ellen Arsenault and husband Bob of Newburyport; many nieces, nephews and their children. He is predeceased by his parents and his sister, Patricia Coffey.
Dan's family is very grateful to the incredible staff at the Maine Veterans' Home, who so lovingly cared for Dan and his family.
Calling hours will be at Hobbs Funeral Home, 230 Cottage Rd., South Portland, on Wednesday, June 18, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., with a funeral service to follow from 12 p.m to 1 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Maine Veterans' Home Scarborough Activities Fund, https://mainevets.org/make-a-gift/.