John Glenn Coffey - "Papa" to everyone he called family - passed away peacefully on Friday,
December 1, 2023, leaving a lifelong legacy of resilience, humor, loyalty, generosity, and just
enough troublemaking to keep things interesting.

Born on Tuesday, March 26, 1946 in his grandparents' small house in rural Black Oak, Arkansas, even as
his journey traced a colorful path all across the United States, John remained a proud Southern
boy to the core.  He was predeceased by his loving parents, Edgar Glen Coffey and Mary Edna
Coffey (née Pollard), and is survived by his devoted wife Cheryl Coffey (née Sartoris), his
favorite sister Janie Spangler, his almost-favorite-on-a-good-day brothers Larry and Rick Coffey,
and a wealth of close family including Heather Futrell, Cody & Amanda Hunter, Ava Hunter,
Tracy Guetterman, Daniel Allbee, Steve Spangler, and so many more cherished cousins,
nieces, nephews, grandchildren…his was a life so filled with family and friends that to list them
all would demand a page a mile long.

John spent his years cultivating a deep and caring legacy which will live on for generations in
the family he raised and the lives he touched. In his youth he proudly served his country in the
U.S. Navy, stoking an adventurous spirit and instilling in him a steadfast sense of pride and
duty.  His post-military endeavors were a mosaic of diverse experiences ranging from a long run
as proprietor of John's Sew & Vac, to co-owning, operating, and barring plenty of local rabble
from Clay Street Tavern, to admiring the scenery from one end of the country to the other as an
over-the-road truck driver, to finally retiring for the good life of quiet repose on a hill overlooking
Troy Park where he and Cheryl cared for a constant menagerie of dogs, birds, raccoons,
possums, squirrels, and the occasional neighbor's curious cat.

But John was more than his professions; he was a modern Renaissance Man. Whether flying
planes, beating anyone unlucky enough to play him at poker, chasing alpacas, imparting salt-of-
the-earth wisdom & life lessons, cruising the town in his pickup trucks (which almost always
somehow leaned toward being red), or showering his adored pet dogs - Frisky, Eli, Opie, and
Mickey - with equal parts affection and cheddar cheese, he embraced opportunity with a gusto
that was both inspiring and contagious.  He became particularly adept in his later years at
"entertaining" friends, family, and complete strangers with his well-worn, eye-rolling grandpa
jokes and further honing his enduring fascination with the American Wild West; if you ever
needed a random bit of trivia about Tombstone, Arizona, John Coffey was your Huckleberry.  A
fiercely loyal family man, he was a pillar of strength for his loved ones with a no-nonsense
attitude balanced by a deceptively soft heart and a warm sense of humor.

As we bid farewell, we remember a man who lived life on his own terms, who loved deeply, and
whose strength and humor touched many lives. He will be dearly missed but never forgotten.

A celebration of John's life will be held 1-5 pm on Saturday, April 13, 2024 at Troy VFW. In lieu of flowers,
donations may be made to Metro East Humane Society of Edwardsville, IL
(https://www.mehs.org/support).  His family invites you to share your memories of him, as these
stories will continue to keep his spirit alive in all of us.  Online expressions of sympathy may be made at www.Richesonfh.com

RICHESON FUNERAL HOME, Troy, IL