Stephen Charles Coates

"Due to the current healthcare crisis and in accordance with state and local guidelines, and venue expectations, Steve’s stop on his “Grand Tour” in Lafayette, Indiana will be a private service. Please understand that for the safety of others we cannot with a good conscience put others at risk just to satisfy what has become a supposedly necessary event. With that in mind, we plan to live-stream the service so that all can share in this time of remembrance and celebration. Hopefully in the future we can have a celebration of Steve’s life so that whoever wants to attend will be able to do so. This event will not happen until we as a family determine it is safe. If you have memories of Steve (the good, the bad or even the ugly) please do not hesitate to share them with us. He was not perfect but he was perfect for us. We want his legacy to know who he truly was. His love for his friends in Indiana was great and he would not want anyone to become ill just because of his stop in Lafayette. When we schedule this celebration we will post the details.

The Family of Steve Coates”.

Stephen Charles Coates was born on July 3rd, 1956 in Tulsa Oklahoma. He left his earthly home to receive his home in glory on September 17, 2020 due to complications from renal cancer. He moved to Owasso, OK at age 9 and graduated from Owasso High School in 1974. He attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M and then finished at Oklahoma State University in 1981 with a Bachelor’s degree of Social Studies Teacher Education. He gave 20 years of service to Frank W. Murphy’s manufacturing, Inc. in Tulsa Oklahoma and earned an Associate’s degree in Engineering from Tulsa Community College in 1994. He then gave 20 years of service as a Design Engineer with Caterpillar, Inc. in Lafayette Indiana and Cypress Texas. He was an avid sports fan and could often be found watching or listening to the St. Louis Cardinals, Boston Celtics, Dallas Cowboys, or Oklahoma State University games. He also served as an umpire in many summer league fastpitch softball organizations and enjoyed officiating games of all ages and levels. He worked many national level tournaments for both girls and men’s fastpitch divisions and was also a collegiate umpire for all divisions. He was an active member and leader of several different church families throughout his journeys. He will be remembered for his humor, his passion for history, the love he had for his pets, being in and enjoying nature, conversations with anybody that he met, and his love of home cooked food, especially homemade ice cream and coconut cream pie, and holiday gatherings with his family.

He is survived by his wife of 41 years, Karen Lynia (Wade) Coates of Cypress, TX; his mother M. Lucille (Combs) Coates of Owasso, OK; his son Michael Coates of Lafayette IN, daughter-in-law Madeena (Annarino) Coates, granddaughters Penelope Coates (9), Charlotte Coates (7), and grandson Abram Coates (2);

Daughter Rebecca (Coates) Hadar of Lafayette IN, Son-in-law Justin Hadar, and grandsons William Hadar (3) and Samuel Hadar (2); his sister Dana (Coates) West of Newalla OK, brother-in-law Jim West; his brother Bill Coates of Broken Arrow OK and sister-in-law Janice Coates; brother Bob Coates of Cushing OK and sister-in-law Rachel Coates; and many beloved nieces and nephews.