Mr. George F. Coates Sr. was born March 4, 1937, to the late Marie Coates and the late Alfred “Purcey” Coates. He passed away at his son’s residence in Kill Devil Hills, N.C., on April 5, 2025.
George is survived by his son, George Coates Jr. (Ana) and his two granddaughters, Isabella Coates and Georgana Coates, all of Kill Devil Hills.
George was the husband of the late Marcella Coates for nearly 51 years. Raised in Queens, N.Y., George as a youngster lived in East Rockaway, Long Island, N.Y. He graduated from East Rockaway High School in 1955. Shortly afterwards, he decided to follow in the footsteps of his father, who passed away in 1946, and became a merchant mariner. The majority of George’s seafaring career was with Gulf Oil, where he worked for 20 years. He worked his way up and became a captain of oil tankers.
In 1968 George married the love of his life, Marcy Coates. Three years later their only child, George, was born. During the early years of their marriage, they lived in Highstown, N.J. and then in Burlington, N.J.
In 1972 they purchased a home on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. For George this was a dream come true. He had visited the area as a youngster with his childhood friend. In 1981 as luck would have it, the moving van was packed up and the family of three and the dog moved down to the Eastern Shore permanently. George continued to command oil tankers until his early retirement in 1992. His next phase in life was to continuously work on their house with endless home improvement projects.
Years down the road, George and Marcy enjoyed spending time with their two granddaughters, Isabella and Georgana, until Marcy’s passing in 2018. Ever since, George’s life took a big turn and his broken heart never mended. Visits with his son and family in Outer Banks, N.C., brought him continued joy.
George was an amazing son, father, husband, and grandfather to his family. In accordance with his wishes, no memorial services are planned. Please share expressions of sympathy with the family at gallopfuneralservices.com
Gallop Funeral Services, Inc. was entrusted with arrangements.
