Kenneth L Coffeen
November 12, 1940 - July 10, 2010
Obituary
MADISON- Kenneth Leroy Coffeen, age 69, passed away on Saturday, July 10, 2010, at HospiceCare after a brief battle with cancer. He was born in Milwaukee on Nov. 12, 1940, the son of Hiram and Eleanor Williams Coffeen. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin- Madison with a bachelor and Masters degree in civil engineering. Ken worked as a civil engineer while in the Peace Corps., in Tena, Ecuador. Over the years, he was employed by Mead & Hunt, City of Fond du Lac, City of Lexington, Kentucky and Wilbur Smith and Associates. Kens career took him to many places around the world, including Bolivia, The Gambia, Nigeria and Jordan. After his retirement, he continued working for Madison Water Utility and the U.S. Census Bureau. Ken was involved in many organizations including WORT community radio, Return Peace Corp. Volunteers (RPCV), Lions Club, Crisis Corp., and the American Red Cross. One of his greatest joys was being outdoors, spending his time sailing, camping and biking. He also enjoyed politics, traveling and dining out. Ken will be remembered for his positive, kind, outgoing attitude. He is survived by his wife, Sharon Isensee; sister, Anne (Jerry) Gimler; daughters, Yolanda (Ken) Lloyd, Kristina (William) Throckmorton and Laurel (Ben) Faga; Sharons son, Chad (Jessica) Bigler; grandchildren, Alicia, Gavin, Celeste, Sam, Sophie, Warren Brie and Tyler; special niece, Georgia (Stephen) Kimmel; and former wife, Illene Nelson Coffeen. Ken was preceded in death by his parents; sister, Thelma Ferguson; and Sharons daughter, Kristina Bigler. Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. at PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, 2401 Atwood Ave., Madison, on Thursday, July 15, 2010. Burial will be held at Oakhill-Springdale Cemetery in Mount Vernon. Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 and also from 10 a.m. until the time of service at the church on Thursday. Ken was loved by all who knew him and will be deeply missed.
Cemetery:
Burial will be held at Oakhill-Springdale Cemetery in Mount Vernon.
Visitation:
Visitation will be held from 5 p.m. until 8 p.m. at GUNDERSON EAST FUNERAL HOME, 5203 Monona Drive, Madison on Wednesday, July 14, 2010 and also from 10 a.m. until the time of service at the church on Thursday.
Service:
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. at PLYMOUTH CONGREGATIONAL UNITED CHURCH OF CHRIST, 2401 Atwood Ave., Madison, on Thursday, July 15, 2010.
Events
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Memories
AH
Alice Hobbs
Other •
Ken was a favorite cousin and we shall miss him. I remember how much fun we had as children when he visited our Minnesota farm and when we visited his family at Clear Lake. He was great at trying to keep our distant families connected once our parents' generation was gone.
Our deepest sympathy to all of his family. We know this will be a difficult time - please know you're in our thoughts and prayers.
Love, Bill and Alice (Evans) Hobbs
LR
Lee Row
Other •
You wouldn’t really know Ken Coffeen was a passionate guy until you’d know him for a while. That’s probably because he was always so reasonable and so respectful of other peoples’ points of view.
But if you did know Ken for a while, you would begin to notice that he always showed up, he always volunteered, he always did what he could and what he thought was the right thing to do – for those causes he believed in.
And he usually did it quietly and matter-of-factly – but he always did it. In other words, he was totally reliable.
And now he has left a big hole – because having known Ken and worked with him and done stuff with him, I came to rely on him – because ultimately, Ken was the most reliable guy I’ve ever known.
If I couldn’t make it to a march on the capitol to protest the most recent attack on Palestinian rights, I knew Ken would be there to represent me. If I couldn’t mail someone’s calendar to their granddaughter who was departing for the Peace Corps the next week, Ken would probably do it – and I wouldn’t worry that it wouldn’t get done. If I couldn’t get to the campground to enjoy the fellowship and fun of group camping, I know Ken would be there. And that’s because Ken was reliable and he really believe in friendship, fellowship, justice, human rights and demonstrated his passion over time in his unassuming presence.
And that is how he showed his passion – by stepping up whenever he could for what he believed in. He was a great role model, a great collaborator, such a nice guy and a good friend. He will be sorely missed.