May 22, 1935 - December 29, 2023
William “Bill “Charles Coats passed away peacefully at home on Fri., Dec. 29, 2023, at the age of 88.
Bill was born in Streater, Illinois in 1935, to Charles and Mary Coats. He grew up in the farm country of central Illinois. Bill met his wife, Gretchen, at Chillicothe High School. They were high school sweethearts and spent a beautiful 70 years together. They had three children, Steve, Cindy, and John. Bill worked for Caterpillar where he worked his way up to traveling the world for them as an Engineer.
Bill was an avid sailor and loved his time spent sailing with friends at the Illinois Valley Yacht Club (except the time the motor fell off and sunk to the bottom of the river!). He also had many adventures on the water yachting around Florida. Bill always fancied himself as an amateur architect. He was interested in home designs and was always working on floor plans. He proudly designed and built five homes, including two beach houses in Gulf Shores, Alabama in 1978. Hurricane Frederic wiped them out the following year, but they were quickly rebuilt, and this has always been a beloved spot to bring friends and family. We all have such fond memories of playing in the white sand and warm water with him there. Bill retired in 1997 from Caterpillar after 43 years, and moved down to the Alabama Gulf Coast full time and built a beautiful home on the intercoastal in Orange Beach. He moved to Fairhope in 2016 when it was time to downsize.
Bill was quite a singer and had a love of Jazz and could sing any Frank Sinatra song. His friends referred to him as “Singin’ Sam”. He was an avid runner, cycler, and swimmer, taking morning runs and weekend bike rides through the countryside of Illinois and swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. He loved sailing the ‘Spindrift’ and reading. His favorite place to read was the bathroom, hence the reason we referred to it as the library! Bill loved traveling and exploring the country and Europe and was lucky enough to have seen so many amazing places. He was a big Saint Louis Cardinals fan and raised us all to cheer for the Redbirds.
Bill is preceded in death by his parents, and his sister, Roberta. He is survived by his wife, Gretchen; three children, Steve, Cindy, and John (Susan); his grandchildren, Josh, and Rachelle (Brandon); and three great-grandchildren, Kit, Brody and Jaimeson.
Bill had many adventures and truly had a blessed life. His kindness, generosity and memory will never be forgotten. He will be greatly missed.
The family will hold a private gathering to honor their husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather at a later time. Expressions of condolences for the family may be made at www.hughesfh.com. Hughes Funeral Home, Daphne, AL, is assisting the family.
