Rodney Lawrence Coker

It is with great sadness but also with great appreciation for a life well lived that we announce the passing of Rodney “Ron” Lawrence Coker on October 31, 2024, at the age of 76. Ron was born on October 28, 1948, in Sumter, South Carolina to Richard Guy Coker and Elizabeth Scott Coker. Ron’s father was in the Air Force and stationed at Shaw Air Force Base at the time. For the next 18 years Ron traveled from base to base with his family going from South Carolina to Boliva, to Hampton, Virginia, to Hickam Air Force Base in Oahu, Hawaii and finally to Alexandria, Virginia where Ron graduated from George Washington High School (now a junior high).

Ron was a top-notch athlete in High School lettering in football (tight end), baseball (catcher) and basketball (center and forward). Ron excelled at all sports but in basketball he was a real standout with his 6’5” height and tough defense. In his senior year he led George Washington to their first Virginia state championship. He went on to play basketball for Appalachian State University in Boone, NC and was named to the East-West All Star Game squad his senior year where he not only played against the best players in the Country, he was named the game’s MVP when he had one of those unconscious shooting nights that athletes dream of.

After graduating with a degree in Finance, Ron moved to New Jersey and worked for what was at the time the Connell Rice & Commission Co. (now the Connell Company). After a few years of bills of lading and shipments of commodities Ron was chosen to start Connell’s industrial equipment leasing business. Ron flourished in the complex world of the leasing and financing of fleets of industrial equipment. His clients included Ford Motor Company, Daimler Chrysler, Alcoa, Delta and other Fortune 500 companies. In 2001 Ron moved to South Florida to be closer to and help out with his ailing mother and brought his leasing and finance skills to First Fleet Corporation. Ron retired from the business in 2010 and began a new chapter of his life full of golf, traveling and family.

Ron married Natalie in 1999 on a beach in the Bahamas which is appropriate for the life they lived together. Ron and Natalie loved each other completely and had the best life together for over 25 years. Natalie is originally from Finland where they traveled every year in the summer months (of course). They often used Finland as a base camp for further travels in and around Europe. They moved first to Plantation and were members of Fort Lauderdale Country Club then recently to Boca Woods in Boca Raton. Ron’s larger than life, infectious personality fostered friendships everywhere he went and he and Natalie really enjoyed the friends they acquired over the years.

Of all of the accomplishments in his life, Ron was most proud of his children and grandchildren. The joy he experienced from his children and grandchildren was immeasurable. His daughter, Tiffany A. Pillifant (Andy and children Lael, Oscar and Miles) of Charlottesville, VA., son Todd R. Coker (Chelsey and son Cameron) of Hermosa Beach, CA and son Timothy J. Coker (Tanya and children Laila and Christian), gave Ron a bigger sense of purpose in his life and he looked forward to regular family visits and trips together. You can see from the hundreds of family photographs that Ron’s smile was at a different level when the grandchildren were with him.

Ron is survived by his wife, Natalie, his children and grandchildren, his brother Richard Guy Coker Jr. (Kristin), his sister, Patricia Coker Vail (Thomas), his nieces Megan, Kathryn, Tara Beth and Tabitha and nephew Nathan and by Kathy Coker, the mother of Tiffany, Todd and Timothy and Ron’s former wife.

Graveside services will be held on Tuesday, November 5 at 2 P.M. at Fairway Memorial Gardens Cemetery, 1391 NW 45 Street, Deerfield Beach, FL 33064.