On Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2014, Robert L. Coffee, 87, completed his earthly journey. A celebration of his journey will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 3, 2015, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, located at 179 W. Ninth South St. in Snowflake, concluding with military honors. Lunch will be served immediately following the service.
His journey began in Anaheim, Calif., on May 16, 1927, and took him around the globe, from his early years drilling water wells in the Bakersfield, Calif., and the Indian Wells Valley areas to military service in Germany and Korea. After his service in both the U.S. Army and Air Force, Bob once again found himself in the Indian Wells Valley drilling wells. Opportunity knocked and Bob moved to Arizona, starting in the Kingman area, then moving up to the White Mountains and finally settling in the Snowflake area.
Bob worked hard and continued to remain active in his later years. Well past retirement age, he could still be found drilling wells, pulling pumps and fixing windmills. When not working, he enjoyed the great outdoors, especially hunting and fishing in many White Mountain forests and lakes. He was even planning a trip to Roosevelt Lake in the days before his passing.
Along the way, Bob was surrounded by a great number of family and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents Roy and Dorothy Coffee, sister Betty Lack and brother Bill Coffee of Bakersfield, Calif., and is survived by his sister Pat Spangler of San Jose, Calif., longtime companion Elverda R. Topliss of Snowflake, and many sons, daughters, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and great-grandchildren throughout the country.
