Ned S. Coates Obituary (1940 - 2019)

Born Jun 06, 1940, Ned S. Coates attended Bloomsburg High School in Bloomsburg, PA. View the obituary, post a memory, or share a photo about Ned S. Coates.

Graduation Year	Class of 1958
Date of Birth	Jun 06, 1940
Date of Passing	Jun 06, 2019
About	After fighting a courageous battle with leukemia, Ned Stuart (“Blaze”) Coates of Cogan Station crossed over from this world to the next on Sunday, Jan. 6, at his home, surrounded by his loving family. Born in Bloomsburg, PA on June 6, 1940, he was a son of the late Charles E. and Beryle (Melick) Coates. In addition to his parents, Ned was predeceased by a brother, Rev. Charley W. Coates.
Events	Ned was educated in Bloomsburg public schools and Susquehanna University, where he earned a B.A. in English. He taught at Hughesville High School, then earned a Master’s degree in English Literature from the University of Arkansas, leading to a forty-year career at the Pennsylvania College of Technology (formerly WACC), where he earned a Master Teacher Award. Ned taught speech, composition, and literature in the Department of Communications, Language and Literature. He also created and taught two elective courses in American Indian studies, and taught non-credit courses in canoeing, basic survival skills, and cross-country skiing.

Classmate Memories

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Larry Pennington '58 said:

He took pride in being one of the Bloomsburg Panthers who upset Berwick 13-0 on Thanksgiving of 1957. Ned lettered in football at Susquehanna University.
During their 25 years together, Ned and Gayle shared many fun and exciting adventures, such as trips to exotic places like Seventy-Six and Mountain View, Arkansas (the Northcentral part of Arkansas with its folk music and beauty were part of him, as were the hills and streams of Northcentral PA). They also traveled to gatherings with Akwesasne Mohawk friends, zip-lined above a Mexican jungle, and helped hurricane victims in a huge Red Cross evacuee shelter. They enjoyed venturing in the home area, too, where Ned was proud to be known as a “Fairly Reliable Guide,”who led friends and family on hikes off the beaten path, in which no one was ever lost for long.
Ned maintained involvement in athletics and outdoor recreation throughout his life. He took pride in being one of the Bloomsburg Panthers who upset Berwick 13-0 on Thanksgiving of 1957. Ned loved the outdoors, was at home in the woods, in a canoe, or wading in a mountain stream. He enjoyed hiking and biking with Gayle, Drew, son-in-law Joe, and friends Bob, Dan, and Phil on the Pine Creek Rail-to-Trail.

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