Obituary of Robert Wallace Coffin

Robert Wallace “Bob” Coffin of Bedford, Virginia and West Gardiner, Maine died January 24, 2017, surrounding by family and friends in Bedford, Virginia. Bob was born April 12, 1940 in Framingham, Massachusetts, the only child of the late Wallace Coffin and Ida Coffin Murray. After serving as a tank commander for the US Army at Ft. Dix, Bob was employed by LaPointe Precision Tools in Mass. There he progressed from draftsman to designer of cutting tools for jet engine parts servicing Pratt Whitney Aircraft. His career then took him to Fay & Scotts Machine Shop in Dexter, Maine, as a Draftsman for 7 years. When the company sold to Nichols in South Portland, Bob was hired as a Salesman and then promoted to Sales Manager for their Northeast Region. In his later years, Bob worked for Hancock Lumber as a Project Pro while, at the same time, building homes that he designed with the assistance of his cherished wife of 23 years, Barbara Ginnett Coffin. Bob and Barbara spent their summers in Maine until his diagnosis in 2015. Bob loved spending his time outdoors, was an avid fisherman and enjoyed many days fly fishing with Lee Kaufman (Dexter, Maine) and ocean fishing with Mike Breton (Scarborough, Maine). His true passion was playing hockey. He played hockey with the Old Boots in Maine every summer. When he and his wife moved to Virginia in 2003, Bob started, organized and managed an over 45 Hockey League in Roanoke called the Rusty Blades in Roanoke. After a few years, he expanded the league to Lynchburg. The “Rusty Blades” was his life and soul for the last 12 years, until his courageous battle with melanoma prevented him from doing so. Besides his wife Barbara; Bob is survived by two children from a previous marriage, daughter, Lori (Lorraine) Coffin Slone (husband, Craig) of Beavercreek, Ohio; son, Jeff Coffin (wife, Ryoko Suzuki) of Nashville, TN; stepdaughter, Jada Ginnett Walker of Bellingham, Washington; grandchildren, Connor Slone, Morgan Slone, Aulin Walker, and Brandan Walker; by half-siblings Bill Murray; Melanie, Sean, Paul, Priscilla, Elise, Stuart, Deborah, Karen and Marcia Coffin. Bob was predeceased by his half-sister, Diane Murray Veader. The memorial service will be held at 11:00 AM on Tuesday, January 31, 2017 at Updike Funeral Chapel, Route 460 (1140 West Lynchburg Turnpike) Bedford, Virginia, with a reception/meal immediately following. Bob planned far in advance for this day and his burial. He asked that everyone respect his wishes to have this one Ceremony/Celebration of life at Updike with no further celebrations in his honor. However, he would not object to, and hopes you will, think of him during a quiet walk or hike in the woods; or while fishing or a rousing game of hockey, hoping you find joy and comfort in the things that he loved doing. In lieu of flowers, Bob wanted donations to be sent to: Lynchburg Youth Hockey Association, P.O. Box 10471, Lynchburg, VA 24506. Arrangements are being handled by Updike Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Bedford.