Michael William Coenen

1950 - 2017

Michael William Coenen

Ventura, CA

A lifelong resident of Southern California, Michael William Coenen was born in 1950 in Los Angeles County. Michael had a deeply ingrained sense of duty, service, and commitment, which led him to enlist in the US Army at the age of 18, serving for four years as a corpsman/medic and a Military Policeman. His continued dedication to service led him to enroll in the LAPD academy upon returning home, although he ultimately withdrew due to back problems. A natural and talented tinkerer, Michael eventually found a use for his skills and a professional "home" at Canon, U.S.A., where he would work for over 25 years until his retirement in 2015.

Michael liked to joke that as a young man, he always dreamed of living in a house full of women. In the 1980s he saw his wish come true, marrying the love of his life, moving to Ventura, and seeing the birth of his three daughters. Even the family pets were always female!

Michael's true joy was his family. With them he shared his love of soccer, teaching all three daughters to play his favorite sport. His girls were his favorite players. He also faithfully supported the USMNT, following their endeavors on tv, or when he could, at live games. When Michael no longer played on a team himself, he was an active youth referee for many years, employing his love of sport and commitment to equity and fairness in one grand hobby. All three daughters would eventually referee as well.

Michael's other passions included reading, music, and cooking. He would always have a stack of books by his bedside or in his work-travel suitcase, or on weekends could be found around the house by following the sound of his latest audiobook. He loved nonfiction books about history, and sci-fi or "weirto" horror/fantasy genres, such as those written by Stephen King and Dean Koontz. As for music, he was constantly singing, humming, and whistling, and also loved to play the guitar. His cooking was renowned by family and friends alike, famous for such dishes as seared ahi tuna, grilled tri tip, and deep fried turkeys at Thanksgiving. Not to mention his breakfasts of Coenen "McMuffins", and Eggs Benedict!

In 1975, Michael was diagnosed with metastatic testicular cancer. He beat that disease, and lived to raise a wonderful family. In 2011, he was diagnosed with a second form of cancer, Burkitt's Lymphoma. He beat that disease too, and lived to see a college graduation, two marriages, and two grandchildren born. His family affectionately nicknamed him "Wolverine" in reference to his ability to heal. In 2015 Michael was diagnosed with bladder cancer, which he fought and kept at bay for over a year. In 2017 the disease metastasized, and eventually took his life. He was a courageous and stoic fighter throughout, and bore much for the sake of those he loved. He fought cancer like he lived the rest of his life ? with strength, honor, and a determination to smile and make jokes, even if he was the only one laughing at them (though he managed to make a lot of people laugh along the way).

Michael was a proud husband, father, and Papa. He is survived by his wife Kate, his daughters Alicia, Natalia, and Teressa, his sons-in-law Wes and Ross, and his grandchildren Rosalie and Remy, among countless other extended family and friends.

Our family expresses their heartfelt thanks to Dr. Lynn R. Kong and her team for their extraordinary treatment and compassionate care. We'd also like to thank our family practitioner, Dr. Charles Murphy, and his wife, Marilou, an oncology nurse at Community Memorial Hospital who spent many hours with Michael ? our journey with them transformed us from patient/doctor to friends and loved ones. So many staff and volunteers at CMH helped us through this roller coaster called cancer treatment.

In lieu of flowers, please consider becoming a committed blood donor if you are willing and able, as Michael benefited many times during his treatments from such gifts. We have also established a St. Jude memorial donation: http://giftfunds.stjude.org/mwcoenen

Michael's celebration of life will take place at our home on Saturday, July 29th at 2 pm. Remembrances will begin at 3pm, followed by food and drinks. Please RSVP to csfam.ventura@gmail.com. Casual attire.

While we will all miss Michael ? a husband, father, grandfather, brother to many, uncle, cousin, friend, colleague, and veteran ? please believe he will live on through you all.

"I exist in two places, here and where you are." Margaret Atwood