I had the honor of speaking at his funeral on behalf of the family, so I thought I would post a copy of what I put together, for those of you who knew him but weren't able to attend.
Rex E. Coatney
These past few days as I’ve tried to process the information that my grandpa is no longer alive, I’ve had an extremely difficult time wrapping my mind around this fact. At first I thought it was because I’ve never been so closely affected by death; I’ve not experienced the loss of a grandparent before. But every time I thought about him, or pictured him, he was still so vibrant, so alive, in my memories...laughing, telling a story, giving me a hug, growling like a bear to make my children squeal and giggle and run away...still so full of life. And I realized that this is why his death is so hard for me to accept, because Rex Coatney was a man who was full of life, with a bounce in his step and a sparkle in his eyes, and he shared his zest for life with everyone around him.
Be it friends or family or the waitress bringing food to our table, Rex had a way of making everyone around him feel comfortable, included, welcome, and important. I know he always made me feel important. From the day I was born he always referred to me as his ‘favorite granddaughter,’ and I held this title with pride for a good 14 years...and then suddenly my title changed to his favorite “14-year-old,” when Emmi was born. He found a way to continue making me feel important without demeaning anyone else. I also have fond memories of riding around Glenwood in his pick-up truck; a quick “run downtown for a paper,” always turned into a tour of the bank, or the store, or walking through Kaiman’s, being introduced to anyone and everyone we met. Everybody knew Rex, and I was his granddaughter! I’ve never felt like more of a celebrity.
It’s been hard to explain to my 2 and 4 year old girls why they can’t visit Papa Rex anymore. We explained to them that he went to heaven. Then when we started packing up the car last Wednesday to drive to Glenwood, and said we were going to Papa Rex and Great-grandma’s house, Norah (our 2 year old) asked, “Oh! Are we going to heaven tomorrow?” I’ve been hanging onto that thought...thinking about visiting him in heaven. It made me think of that day, sometime in the future, when I will meet him at the gates. I imagine he’ll greet me with a tight squeeze and a great big smile, then he’ll wrap one arm around my side and take me all around to introduce me to all the people he knows there. I can hear him now, saying “this is my granddaughter!” with pride.
I’ll miss his stories. Grandpa was such a storyteller, and did he have stories to tell! From refereeing football games to adjusting crops, teaching students, acting as principle, and selling women’s clothing...his tales were endless and interesting and often funny, too. Part of what made his storytelling so great was the light in his eyes. Some people have bright eyes, but Grandpa’s eyes really sparkled. It was hard not to get excited about whatever he was talking about. I think that’s part of the reason that Rex and Anita’s clothing store was so successful. Ladies didn’t just go into the store for clothes, they went in to shoot the breeze with Rex! And I’ll never forget his laugh...it was one-of-a-kind. Grandpa was always quick with a smile and with a laugh. We decided that the only thing missing last night at the visitation was his laugh. He would have loved to talk with each and every person filing through the line, and you could have picked his laugh out of the crowd.
He was such a fun grandpa! He took me to my first Husker game, taught me how to mow the lawn, let me drive his golf cart, even though, in his words, I drove it like a bat out of...I’ll let you fill in the blank! He even let me paint his face up like a clown...not only once...but twice! He took me to the Shriner circus and the Omaha zoo on more than one occasion. He even wanted to have some fun after his death. He told George Peterson years ago that when he died, he wanted George to prop him up in the back of a red convertible and drive around the square. (Sorry Grandpa, that was one request we had a hard time following through with today!)
(This was not a part of my eulogy, but I wanted to include these next two photos. Long story short...he was color-blind, wore orange socks to my mom's wedding...and then convinced my dad to carry on the tradition at mine.) :)
He was a hard worker, and taught us all the value of honest hard work from a young age. When I was in grade school he told me that if I learned how to write in cursive, and then sent him a letter, he would buy me a phone. We both held up our end of the deal, and he installed my first phone line in my bedroom, whether my dad was ready for that or not.
This Thanksgiving weekend, I am so very thankful to have had 31 years to know and love Rex Coatney. And I am so thankful that my children got a chance to know him; though that time was short, they know him, talk about him, and love him. And looking around at the family gathered today, I am thankful for this amazing legacy that started with Rex and Anita. Though their personalites are very different, they are truly a perfect match, and together started this beautiful family. It speaks volumes of Rex’s character to see that his 3 grown children are walking with the Lord; and teaching their children...and grandchildren...to do the same. And I can’t begin to count the number of other people who have stories to tell about how my grandpa taught them something, helped them out in a tough time, or changed their life. Whoever says one man can’t make a difference never met Rex Coatney. Because he was a wonderful, honorable, loving, hard-working, God-fearing man, who impacted the lives of hundreds of people. When he passed away, a bright bright light went out in this world, and he will truly be missed.
