Coates

BOULDER CITY, NV—William (Bill) Thomas Coates, 96, died Nov. 18, 2019, at Nevada State Veterans Home in Boulder City, Nevada.

His ashes will be buried next to his wife at Hillcrest Cemetery, Veterans Section, in the spring of 2020.

Mr. Coates was born Feb. 9, 1923, in Deer Lodge, Montana, to Thomas and Helga (Stav) Coates.

He attended schools in Deer Lodge graduating from Powell County High School in 1940.

Mr. Coates enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1943 during World War II and, after the war, he returned home to Deer Lodge for a brief period.

He reenlisted in the Army in 1946, making the Army, and later the Air Force, a career. He served in many locations including the U.S., Western Pacific, Europe, Africa and Canada. At the time of his retirement, he was the Base Operations Officer for the 4082nd Strategic Wing at Goose Air Force Base, Labrador, Canada.

After retiring from the military, he lived in Montana, Texas and Nevada.

Mr. Coates was life member of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 689 in Deer Lodge, a member of American Legion Post 10 in Deer Lodge, the Military Officers Association, and the Knights of Columbus in Las Vegas, Nevada.

He was preceded in death by his wife of 53 years, Vada; a son, James; two daughters, Shirley and Mary; a grandson, James Cusick; his parents; a brother, John; and a sister, Helen.

Survivors are a daughter, Patricia Goeppinger of Nevada; a sister-in-law, Nancy Coates of Bend, Oregon; a daughter-in-law, Eileen Coates of Camby, Oregon; and two son-in-laws, Dwayne Hart of Deer Lodge, Montana, and Kenny of San Diego, California; also, nine grandchildren and 14 great-grandchildren.