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Obituary for JAMES A. COATES
James Allen Coates was born on September 29, 1934, to the late Leonard and Blanche Coates. He was educated in the Calvert County School System and later drafted in the United States Army in March 1957. He served his country until being honorably discharged in 1959. He returned to reside in Southern Maryland where he worked various jobs in carpentry, masonry and sharecropping.
James enjoyed attending baseball games and gatherings with family and friends. You would always find him laughing, cracking jokes, and just wanting everyone around him to be happy and have a good time. The younger grandkids would always get a kick out of him trying to remember all their unique names. At times he may not have remembered all their names, but he could always tell them whose child they were and loved them all just the same. They loved their "Grandpop" or "Pops". James was a father figure to oldest grandson Chris, who grew up in the home with his grandfather. He had an especially close relationship with him.
He leaves to cherish the memories: daughter, Sylvia (Carlton) Griffin of Lothian, Md; sons, Nathan (Aliease) Coates of Huntingtown, Md; John Coates of Lothian, Md; and Marvin (Anissa) Coates of Ft. Washington, Md; and their sister Mary "Jackie" Coates of Sunderland, Md; stepdaughter, Canessa (Anthony) Hall and stepson, Joseph (Theresa) Marshall of Bowie, Md; sister, Mary Helen Hatchett of Annapolis, Md; and a host of grandchildren, nieces, nephews, relatives and friends.
Preceding him in death: wife, Vanessa Coates; sons, James Jr. and Leonard "Timmy" Coates; sisters, Rebecca Jones, Alice Wills, and Blanche Coates; brothers, William, Leonard, Thomas, and Leroy Coates; two grandchildren, Shelton "Pooh Bear" and TeCola "Kitten"; and Alverta Sharps.
