Richard Robert Coords

Richard Robert Coords, of Saint Johns, Florida, went home to be with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on Friday, February 7th, 2025, at the age of 79. He was born on June 5th, 1945, in the city of Orange Township, New Jersey.

Richard played football and ran track for North Plainfield high school, and graduated in 1964. He served in the United States Army for four years and was stationed in Germany during the Vietnam war. When he returned home, he learned how to fly small airplanes and also learned the trade of welding. His older sister encouraged him to take a computer class at night because she could see that it was the profession of the future. He ended up becoming a computer programmer and worked for AT&T. He was married in 1970 and fathered four children. In 1983, he packed up the family and relocated to Jacksonville, Florida, when AT&T transferred him to American Transtech. When AT&T sold American Transtech, he went to work for Bank of America until he retired in 2018.

Richard loved/hated golf depending on the round he had the day he played. He was known for making really good stir-fry meals in his wok. He enjoyed watching baseball, football, and golf on TV but his all-time favorite to watch was Yankee baseball. His father had taken him to Yankee games as a child and he was hooked from then on. He also enjoyed watching old movies, old shows, nature shows, game shows, and conservative news shows. He loved being able to keep up with his former classmates, people he had worked with, and of course his family and friends on Facebook. It was one of his favorite pastimes. When he couldn’t make it to church, he would watch preachers on TV like Adrian Rogers and Charles Stanley. He adored his children and grandchildren but most of all he loved Jesus and couldn’t wait to see Him. He took great comfort in listening to music that glorified Jesus. He is currently listening to the songs from Isaiah 6:3: …” Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” And Revelation 4:8:

…”Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, Who was and is and is to come!”

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Richard’s mother was the youngest of 12 children. Her parents were united by an arranged marriage. As newlyweds they both came to the United States speaking only Italian. His father was the president of Kemper insurance and worked in one of the twin towers in New York City. Richard had many relatives who left a beautiful spiritual heritage for him to follow and that truly shaped his faith in Christ growing up. He loved to share stories about them. He was baptized at age 13 and his walk with the Lord became sweeter and sweeter into his later years in life. He was dedicated to knowing God better and loving Him more. He often wrote his thoughts down about God and scripture and proudly shared them with his family. He spent an hour each morning in prayer for all of his loved ones and followed a daily Bible reading plan that he really enjoyed and he programmed his computer to send him a prayer that he wrote and prayed through each morning when he opened up his laptop.

Richard is preceded in death by his father, Richard Milton Coords, his mother, Florence Kettell Coords, and his older sister, Carol George. He is survived by his younger sister, Florence Wright (Joe), his son, Richard Coords Jr., his daughter, Cindy Penn (Jeff), his daughter, Anne Byrnes (Darrell), and his son, Aaron Coords (Jean). His grandchildren include Georgi Penn, Levi Penn, Kingsley Penn, Fisher Penn, Billings Penn, Richie Penn, Ella Byrnes, Lily Byrnes, Noel Byrnes, Clark Byrnes, Ezra Byrnes, Cameron Law, and Dylan Law.

The funeral service, led by Darrell Byrnes, will be held on Saturday, February 15th, at Hardage-Giddens St. Johns (1285 St. Johns Parkway, St. Johns, Florida, 32259), at 11:00am, with the reception immediately following. The burial service will take place on Monday, February 17th, at the Jacksonville National Cemetery for military veterans.

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Lastly, as Richard would often say: “God is good” and “The Lord Bless You”

“Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in Me, though he may die, he shall live.” - John 11:25