Patricia Bess Coker

Patricia Bess Coker

April 5, 1958 - March 17, 2020

Pat Coker passed from this world very suddenly and unexpectedly on March 17 2020, while visiting Abita Springs (New Orleans), Louisiana, due to complications of Epilepsy.

Pat was born in Laramie, Wyoming on April 5, 1958. When she was 16 she moved to the small town of Rolla, Missouri with her parents and two sisters. The move from the grand beauty of the Wyoming plains and mountains to the astonishing beauty of the valleys and fall foliage of the Ozark Mountain forests furthered her desire to be able to paint what she saw.

It was in Rolla that she met and married her husband and lifelong partner, Terry D. Coker, a student and Army Officer. After their marriage, she immediately took her first trip outside the United States to honeymoon on the Costa del Sol in Spain and a side trip to the continent of Africa. They lived for several years in Europe and some of the countries Pat explored while there were Germany, Czech , Slovakia, Belgium, France, Italy and Austria to name only a few. This provided her the opportunity to study the great masters, both in museums and very old churches of the areas.

They also lived in several areas of the United States, including Kansas, Kentucky, and Ohio, before settling in Arizona. While living in Beavercreek, OH, Pat earned a Bachelor’s Degree at Wright State University and a Master’s Degree at Antioch University. Pat was an excellent teacher and taught school for many years, including in Sierra Vista, before retiring and dedicating her time to Painting. She was an accomplished Artist, with specific interests in water color and acrylic and specialized in landscapes and canine portraits. She was very active in the Huachuca Art Association and a Vice-President of the Tombstone Art Gallery.

Pat had a very vivacious and outgoing personality that combined with her creativity and imagination shaped a person who was enthusiastic about life and all people and things around her. She will be deeply missed by her loving husband and partner of almost 40 years, whose heart has been ripped from his chest.

She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Elsa Joe Francis. She leaves behind her husband, Terry Coker, their two sons, Samuel Coker and Christopher Coker with three grand-children, two sisters, Elizabeth Francis-Erichsen and Ruth May and multiple other family members and friends, who will miss her greatly.

Pat loved Sierra Vista and her interment will be at the Southern Arizona Veterans' Memorial Cemetery, in a private ceremony, due to virus restrictions. A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date, once the current Covid-19 virus issues have subsided.

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