Elise Coe

December 8, 1934 - July 14, 2019

Our beloved wife, mother and grandmother Elise “Lee” Meeker Coe, age 84, passed away peacefully with Jim, her husband of 61 years, and family by her side on July 14, 2019 in South Jordan, Utah. Born December 1934 in New York City, Lee was eldest daughter of David Olan Meeker and Estelle Niemann Meeker. Lee had fond memories growing up on Long Island, where she spent her days clamming and learning to play the piano. She attended Greenwich High School in Connecticut and Elmira College in New York. Among her many talents, Lee was a gifted soprano and it was while performing as Mabel in The Pirates of Penzance, that she met the love of her life, Jim. After marrying at Mather AFB in Sacramento in 1958 and years of traveling during military service, Jim and Lee made their home in Sacramento, CA for 47 years. An accomplished pianist and vocalist, Lee shared her passion for music with children as choir director in Wiesbaden, Germany and for decades in Sacramento as piano and musical teacher in her home near Cottage Park, and at Pershing, Pope Avenue and Del Dayo schools in Sacramento. She sang in the choir at Arcade Baptist Church for many years. Grounded in faith and a commitment to service, Lee led Bible studies and spearheaded a single Mothers support group. Single mothers and their children were a welcome staple in the Coe household, where Lee kept arms open to any and all who needed unconditional support and caring hugs. She provided guidance and love and served as an example of a firm faith in God and service to others through grace and charity. Later in life, Lee served as the Northern California Director for the HUGS Project, sending care packages and homemade items like beef jerky and cool ties to U.S. Troops serving the country that she loved, and her husband Jim faithfully served, as a Lt. Colonel in the Air Force. Committed to excellence in everything she did, not only was Lee a grammar aficionado who would correct the most mild-mannered on the use of “finished” and “done”, she was also an incredible cook, gardener, seamstress and she loved to reminisce about her skiing days in the Alps. Lee enjoyed and shared her talents of embroidery, needlepoint, knitting, and crocheting. Lee is survived by her husband Jim and their children Maureen (William) Spence of Makawao, HI; Guy (Christine) Coe of Bremerton, WA; Wendy (Brad) Rogers of Carlsbad, CA; and Pamela (Brent) Adamson of Herriman, UT; 10 grandchildren (Lyndsey, Lachlan, Landon, Aimee, Alexander, Jackson, James, Emily, Mallory and Samuel) and 5 great grandchildren who she loved with fearless passion. She regarded her family her proudest accomplishment. Lee is preceded in death by her parents and brother David Olan Meeker, Jr. and sister Nancy Newbegin. Lee’s extraordinary life of kindness was repaid in kind by caregivers in the last, most tender years of her life. We add a special thank you and recognition to the staff of Sagewood at Daybreak and her loving hospice team for their service over the last three years in Utah. In appreciation of their loving care and in lieu of flowers, the family requests any donations be made to your local Hospice organization.