Steven William Coffey

Steven William Coffey, of Oskaloosa, passed away, Wednesday, May 31st, 2017 at the age of 55. Steve was born August 10, 1961, to Calvin and Nelda (Burbank) Coffey in Oskaloosa, where he spent the majority of his life. Steve graduated from Oskaloosa High School in 1980 and from Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, in 1984, with a degree in horticulture. Steve loved the outdoors, evidenced by his employment at De Jong Greenhouse in Oskaloosa for several years and then as a surveyor with Garden & Associates in Oskaloosa, also for several years. In 1997, Steve relocated to Hilton Head Island, South Carolina, where he was employed as a landscaper and greenhouse manager at ‘The Greenery, Inc.’. In 2008, Steve returned to his home state of Iowa, where he was reunited with his college sweetheart, Coleen McCullough, of Russell. Steve and Coleen resided in Oskaloosa, where they shared a beautiful life. Beginning in 2009, Steve was the primary caretaker for Coleen’s elderly mother, Eleaine McCullough, who resided with them in Oskaloosa until her passing in July 2013. Steve was also employed with Hawkeye Real Estate and Property Management of Oskaloosa, where he did maintenance and landscaping. He occasionally volunteered at Goodwill in Oskaloosa. Steve was the kind of person most people hoped to be like – kind, caring, patient, and loving. He left a positive mark on everyone he met. He enjoyed nature, music and ‘tinkering,' often finding value and purpose in the things other people might throw away. He took on the role of family historian with his extensive genealogy research. He spent hours converting old family photos to digital images, preserving memories for his family for years to come. He loved his wife, Coleen, and he loved his family. He was preceded in death by his parents, Calvin and Nelda Coffey. He is survived by his wife, Coleen, and three siblings – sister Connie (Coffey) Wymore, brother Russell Coffey and sister-in-law Nancy Coffey, sister Karen (Coffey) Fisher and brother-in-law Dennis Fisher, all of Oskaloosa. He is also survived by his aunts: Norma Lee (Burbank) Anderson of Oskaloosa, Mary (Coffey) Mitchell of New Sharon, and Fran (Coffey) Davis of Reinbeck; niece Julie (Wymore) Gleason and husband Ray Gleason, of Lawson, Missouri; nephew Andrew Fisher of Denver, Colorado; niece Amy Fisher, her fiancé Shane Montgomery, and their daughter Scarlett of Oskaloosa; niece Amber Dawn Gleason of New Sharon; nephew Joe Gleason and his wife Brittany and their two children, Zander and Zoey, of Kearney, Missouri; niece Jessica (Gleason) Phillips and her husband Jesse of New Sharon and also Liberia, Africa, and nephew Clay Gleason of Oskaloosa. A private celebration of life will be held at a date yet to be determined. Memorials can be made to ‘For The Lamb’ ministry or Iowa Public Broadcasting. Garland-Van Arkel-Langkamp Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements. Send memories and condolences to the family by visiting the online guest book at gvlfuneralchapel.com. ‘Your wings were ready, but our hearts were not.’

Steven William Coffey

May 31, 2017 - May 31, 2017