Susan Merritt Coates, 69, passed away on March 10 from Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease which affects one person in a million each year. She was surrounded by family and friends when she passed away peacefully with the same smile and positive attitude that she kept during her entire life.
Susan Merritt Coates, 69, passed away March 10. Her funeral is scheduled for April 21.
Susan was born May 21, 1948 in Port Chester, N.Y. and graduated from Darien High School. She attended Colorado Women’s College in Boulder before transferring to San Jose State University, where she received her degree.
It was there that she met her future husband, Stephen, to whom she was married for nearly 48 years.
Sue started her career working at the San Jose Chamber of Commerce, Singer-Link in Sunnyvale, and the Welfare Department in Kaneohe, Ha. before helping her husband start his property management business.
After her first son arrived, she turned her attention to volunteering. She loved helping in the classroom at Daves Avenue Elementary School which her sons Kevin and Cameron attended.
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— an obituary from Lasting Memories website and the San Jose Mercury News
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Later her strong Christian beliefs led her to take on many roles at the Presbyterian Church of Los Gatos which she attended for over 35 years. Sue loved to work with children and her smile and always positive attitude helped many people through difficult times.
In addition to her loving husband, Stephen, of Monte Sereno, Ca., Sue is survived by her son, Kevin, his wife, Emma, and their children: Zooey, Xander, Blake, Forrest and Kira; her son, Cameron, and his children with Angelina: Jackson and Dylan.
She is also survived by her brother, John Merritt, and his wife, Karen, of South Salem, N.Y.; nieces: Allyson and Chelsea; brother-in-law, Barry Coates, and his wife, Linda, and three adopted refugee sons: Moustafa (Aline), Tchatcho and Marcel.
Family and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Service at 2 p.m., April 21, 2018 at the Presbyterian Church of Los Gatos, 16575 Shannon Road, Los Gatos, with a reception to follow at The Terraces of Los Gatos.
Donations may be made to Prison Fellowship or the Coates Family Endowment at San Jose State University.