Alan was born in Omro to Charles and Kathryn (Parsons) Coats on March 7,

1943. He married Cheryl Marks on February 12, 1966. Their children are

Charles Coats of Madison, and Jay and his wife, Michelle Coats, of Beaver

Dam. Their grandchildren: Alexander, Kailey, Brenna, Brenden, and Matthew

Coats;  His sisters, Enid Krueger of Wausau and Ina (Bob) Mlodzik of Berlin;

his brother, Wally Coats of Kenosha; a large Marks in-law family to whom he

was a brother, include Cheryl’s brothers, Jerry (Anita), Dennis (Barb), Neal

(Debbie), and Greg Marks; and Cheryl’s sister’s Vicki Murphy and Gayle

Marks. Alan was also blessed with wonderful nieces and nephews and their

children.

Alan was preceded in death by his parents and his mother and father-in-law,

Herbert and Gladys Marks and his brothers-in-law, Robert Krueger and Darryl

Murphy and his sister-in-law, Lana Coats.  Alan passed away 28 years to the

day that his father passed away, both at 70 years of age.

Alan graduated from Berlin High School in 1961 and then entered the Army.

He spent two of his three years in the Army in Germany where he made lifelong

friendships. After returning home from the Army he worked for 30 years in the

inventory departments at Chapman’s and then Senior Engineering in Berlin.

When Senior closed, he worked for Magnum Products in Berlin until he retired.

Alan and Cheryl had a wonderful, unique bond which they cherished and they

were true soul mates for 47 years of marriage. They both retired from their jobs

in 2005 and enjoyed eight wonderful years of retirement. They never tired of

each other and could talk for hours in the car on a road trip. They were able to

travel to Ireland and England, and enjoyed several road trips in the States over

the past few years. They also looked forward to trips “up North” to their favorite

B & B in Eagle River and would try to get to Door County at least once a year.

Alan had many hobbies over the years with sports and card playing leading the

list. He enjoyed playing many different types of cards but his favorites the past

few years were playing with his Tuesday card buddies and his Hand & Foot

friends. Alan played moderate pitch softball until he had to quit at age 59 due

to open heart surgery and in his younger years he also enjoyed bowling. At

home he spent hours reading, doing puzzles, taking care of his lawn and flower

garden, history and learning, walking, summer bonfires, being part of a Fantasy

Football team with Cheryl’s family and watching and listening to sports. For the

past ten years he enjoyed going on a yearly fishing trip with his friends even

though he didn’t fish. He enjoyed any opportunity to get together with family and

friends.

Alan loved his Lord and his church. He served on the Church Council several

times and took pride in ‘moving the meeting along’ and getting things done.  

Alan served on the Berlin Parks & Recreation committee during his ball playing

years.

Alan’s greatest pleasure was family. He was proud of his two sons, Charles and

Jay, and could spend hours on the phone with them. He delighted in watching his

five grandchildren grow and they constantly amazed him with their stories and

their energy. He loved family bonfires at the “Marks Resort” where he could share

stories, talk sports, defend his draft for the Marks family Fantasy Football league

and eat grilled hot dogs and corn. He enjoyed many hours on the phone visiting

with his brother and sisters and would like to ‘drop in’ on his sister Ina and spend

hours talking.  

Funeral Services will be held on Friday, June 7, at 11:00 a.m. at Grace English

Lutheran Church in Berlin, with the Rev. Scott Thomas Piper officiating.  Visitation

for Alan will be at Barbola Funeral Chapel on Thursday, June 6; from 4:00 p.m. to

8:00 p.m.  There will also be visitation at the church on Friday morning one hour

prior to the service.   The family requests that memorials be directed to Grace

Lutheran Church for altar paraments.  Alan will be laid to rest at Welsh Cemetery

in the Town of Aurora.  

Online condolences may be sent to the family at barbolafc@yahoo.com.