Raymond (Ray) Watkins Coffey was born December 6, 1949, at Sand Point Naval Air Station in Seattle, Washington.
Ray was the youngest of three children to Robert William Coffey Sr., a career U.S. Navy officer, and Anne Louise Hagar Coffey, a homemaker.
Ray's early years were spent in the Beacon Hill neighborhood until 1956 when the family moved to the Wallingford neighborhood where he attended Seattle public (Interlake Elementary school and Hamilton Junior High School) and then graduated from Lincoln High School in 1969.
As a young student, Ray enjoyed participating in Boy Scouts, Naval Sea Cadets, and being part of the Lincoln High School marching band and the Seattle All-City Band as a saxophone player and Drum Major.
He was voted by his peers as the most talented by his senior class.
Ray met Linda Martinsen on a blind date during Ray’s senior year in high school, and they continued their relationship through their college years.
After high school, Ray joined the U.S. Naval Reserve as a quartermaster and later earned an appointment to the U.S. Naval Academy, after attending the Naval Academy Prep School for a year. At the U.S. Naval Academy, Ray regularly attended Sunday chapel and surrendered his life to Christ and became a Christian at a Midshipmen Retreat.
Due to a serious illness, Ray left the Academy and returned home to Washington to finish his education and eventually earned a BA in Law & Justice through Central Washington State College while working full-time as a State Trooper for the Washington State Patrol.
In 1973, Ray and Linda were married at Christian Temple Church in Seattle and later moved to Vancouver, WA with the State Patrol, and a while later was reassigned to the Executive Protection Unit for then Governor Dan Evans, they welcomed their first child while living in Olympia, WA.
During this time, Ray transferred to the Army Reserve and received his Commission and entered the Military Police Corps, later welcoming his second child while living in Seattle.
In 1982, Ray and Linda moved to Shoreline, WA, and continued to raise their family, adding three more children, bringing great joy to Ray’s life. His family was his pride and joy.
After ten years on the Washington State Patrol, Ray retired from full-time police work and began a 30-year career with Seattle King County Metro as a Transit Safety Investigator and Supervisor. Among other activities at Metro, Ray enjoyed facilitating the annual Metro Rodeo competition for transit operators and maintenance staff.
Ray continued his service with the Army Reserve and was promoted through the ranks, retiring at the rank of Lieutenant Colonel through various leadership positions held and accolades earned.
Life was busy and full for Ray and Linda. He was a devoted husband and enjoyed raising his children and being involved in many of their activities. Ray was also a pillar in his community, coaching youth sports, leading Royal Rangers (a Christian scouting organization), volunteering at his church, chaperoning the Shorewood High School marching band, being an active member of the Lincoln High School Alumni Association, and various veterans organizations.
Ray also volunteered his time serving as a Military Academy Liaison, assisting students and parents in the application process for the military academies, ROTC, and other commissioning programs.
Shortly after the 911 Attacks, Ray was offered a commission in the Washington State Guard, where he served as Chief of Staff for Intelligence and later Provost Marshall, and was promoted to the rank of Colonel.
In his retirement, Ray continued to serve his community through various projects, faith organizations, and activities in support of military veterans and families, including American Legion Post 227, Miracle Ranch Military Kids Camp, The Seattle Mariners, other Christian ministries, and establishing Heros’ Café of Shoreline.
In 2009, Ray joined the U.S. Volunteers-Joint Services Command, where he sought to honor veterans and families by providing Military Funeral Honors to deceased veterans at national and local cemeteries and providing incident response for natural disasters.
Because of Ray’s prior service and leadership, he was appointed Brigadier General to the 10th Regional Command and later appointed Major General supporting the Legislative Affairs command in the U.S. Volunteers, championing veterans’ issues at the state, regional, and national level while continuing to direct and provide final military honors for veterans in the Puget Sound area.
Ray found his greatest joy in simply being with family—cherishing time with his adult children, whose lives and love meant so much to him, and delighting in every opportunity to watch his grandchildren grow, thrive, and become the people he was so proud of.
Ray had a larger-than-life personality, and to know him was to know what it meant to be cheerful, dependable, and generous, with a no-quit attitude and a fervor for life. He was always willing to lend a hand when possible or help others in times of crisis. He had a quirky sense of humor and strong opinions, but he was unapologetically himself—something we admired and loved about Ray.
Ray is survived by his wife, Linda Coffey, and their five children: Lynanne Coffey (Brett Macfarlane), Robert (Kara Mae) Coffey, Russell (Shannon) Coffey, Angela (Scott) Chapman, Amy (Derek) Heath, and ten grandchildren, with one more on the way.
Ray is also survived by sister, Barbara Welk (Coffey), and brother, Richard Coffey.
While our hearts are heavy with loss, we are also filled with gratitude for a life well lived, for the love he gave so freely, and for the memories that will stay with us always. Ray’s legacy lives on through his family and the community he served, through kindness and encouragement for others, the faith he lived, and a life honoring God.
fighting off a 44% reduction in crime victim services funding so that community-based domestic violence shelters, crisis lines and more maintain year over year funding.
Medical Assisting, 1st Place (International Qualifier): Bemnet Maru
Human Heredity, 1st Place: Navjot Kaur
Way to represent Shorecrest, Shoreline Schools, and the future of healthcare!
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