Donn Allen Coates March 12, 1932 - December 20, 2020

Donn Allen Coates

Mr. Donn Coates, age 88, passed away on December 20, 2020.

Donn Coates, loving husband of Judy, father of Tom (Michelle), Mike (Jenny), Becky Burris (Bryan), and Carl (Beth); grandfather of Emily, Martha, Dylan, Daniel, Anna, Emma, Sarah, James, Foster, Clara; great grandfather of Lincoln, Adalynne, Finn, Oliver, and Nora; stepfather of Mike and Scott Liggett, and dear brother of Fran (Bennett), Charles and the late William has passed away after a long battle with Alzheimers disease.

Donn had a long career in education– Dean of Men at Wilmington College, Athletic Director at Oak Hills High School, and Associate Principal at South Dearborn High School in Indiana.

Donn was a true sportsman, playing football in college and playing baseball in the Cincinnati Reds farm system. He coached basketball at Oak Hills before becoming Athletic Director. As Athletic Director, he won the prestigious Enky Award for program excellence many times.

In his spare time, he played basketball, softball, tennis, and golf – the latter two sports into his 80’s. For many summers he and his first wife, Mary Alice and the family would head west to the Colorado mountains and camp, fish, hike, and climb the mountains. He scaled Longs Peak in the Rockies (14,259 ft) once with his son Mike and once with his son Tom. While climbing Andrews Glacier in the Rockies, he leapt out to grab a woman who was sliding perilously down the glacier – both coming to rest against a boulder – saving her life.

He was a generous, considerate, and loving man and was well liked by so very many. He was a very social man. He liked people and enjoyed seeing old friends and making new friends.

Farewell, Donn. Go and meet your old friends and make new ones. You will always be missed and loved.

A private service for family and public celebration of life will be held sometime in the future. Memorials may be sent to the Freestore Foodbank, 1141 Central Parkway, Cincinnati, 45202; https://freestorefoodbank.org/ or to SPCA Cincinnati, 11900 Conrey Rd., Cincinnati, 45249; https://www.spcacincinnati.org/.