Valerie Coder

1937 - 2025

Valerie Coder

April 7, 1937 - December 3, 2025

Valerie A. Coder, age 88, passed away on December 3, 2025, at St. Mary's Essentia Hospital in Superior, Wisconsin.

Born on April 7, 1937, in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, Valerie was the daughter of Theodore and June (Campbell) LeBlanc. After graduating from high school, she continued her education for four additional years at UW-Whitewater, earning her degree in education-and spent several years teaching.

On June 17, 1961, Valerie married Samuel Coder in Rice Lake, Wisconsin after they met as penpals while Sam was in the Navy. They first lived at a couple of naval bases in Southern California before relocating for a short period to a base in Florida, eventually returning to additional naval bases in Southern California. Throughout these 20 years, Valerie maintained full-time employment while navigating the transitions that came with military life often by herself during Sam's deployments.

Following Sam's retirement in 1974, they moved to Bruce, Wisconsin, where Valerie began her long career as a bookkeeper for the Bruce School District. She remained dedicated to her work there until her own retirement. They eventually moved to Rice Lake and then later Superior, WI. Valerie and Sam shared 45 years of marriage before his passing in 2007.

Valerie was a devoted Roman Catholic and a member of St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Superior. Throughout her life, she enjoyed a wide variety of hobbies and creative pursuits. She loved crafting of all kinds-never finding a skein of yarn she couldn't turn into an afghan or stuffed animal-and spent many hours doing needlepoint, making doilies, and creating handmade Christmas decorations. She also enjoyed ceramics, baking (especially Christmas treats), bike riding, and even tried her hand at basket weaving and cross-country skiing. In quieter moments, she liked working on word puzzles and playing a good game of solitaire. Her greatest love and passion was reading novels and she always had her nose in a book.

Valerie was preceded in death by her parents and her beloved husband, Samuel.

She is survived by her children: Joseph (Maxine) Coder, Paulette (Randy) Alseth, and Sally Coder-Martinez; her grandchildren: Jessica (Eli) Parker, Dallas (Adam) Hamilton, Meagan Anderson, Lucas (Trust) Geissler, Logan (Lia) Alseth, JJ Alseth, Stoney Alseth, Blessance Alseth, Emilia Martinez, Rosalinda (CJ) House, and Miguel Martinez; her step-grandchildren: John, Laura, and Matthew Norton; and 13 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sister, MaryJo (Jamey) Scandin, and her brother, Jon (Peggy) LeBlanc.

Visitation will be held from 9:30 a.m. until the 10:30 a.m. Mass of Christian Burial on Wednesday, December 10, 2025, at St. Anthony Church, with Father Andrew Ricci officiating. Burial will be at the Northern Wisconsin Veterans Memorial Cemetery.