Ellen P. Coakley

Entrepreneur / Philanthropist Ellen P. Coakley (90) of Arlington, Va., passed away peacefully and surrounded by family on Monday, July 8, 2019. Ellen was the loving wife of Cornelius J. Coakley, who predeceased her. She is survived by her daughter, Maria Coakley David, and son-in-law James David; sons Cornelius James (Jim), Liam and Michael Coakley; and daughters-in-law Caroline and Beth Coakley. She is also predeceased by her son John Kevin Coakley. Ellen had eleven grandchildren: Elizabeth Kristin Burch and her husband Stephen; Shannon David Hampton and her husband Jacob; Cornelius James (CJ) David, Ellen Michelle David, Mary Catherine Coakley, Anne Marie Coakley, Nora Clare Coakley, Liam Coakley, Cornelius Joseph (Neil) Coakley, Lauren Coakley, and Evelyn Coakley. Ellen also had two great grandchildren, Collin and Bennett Burch, with two additional expected later this summer. Ellen was born in County Kerry, Ireland and immigrated to the United States in 1947. She and her husband, who married in 1956, co-founded the C. J. Coakley Co., Inc. in 1962, a construction company specializing in interiors that is still operating today, under the leadership of their children. In 1977 she co-founded a second construction company Dominion Applicators, Inc. where she served as president until 1992. A passionate philanthropist and advocate for education, Ellen founded the Seton Centers, Inc. in 1975. Through its resources and support, the Seton Centers was a program that helped children with learning disabilities thrive in Catholic schools in various locations throughout the Washington D.C. area. As a result of her dedication to this program, thousands of children were able to graduate high school and college. The mission of the Seton Centers was taken over by the Catholic Diocese of Arlington in 2004. Ellen also co-founded the Ellen P. & Cornelius J. Coakley Family Foundation in 1997 and was the president until her death. The foundation is dedicated to carrying on Ellen and Cornelius’ passion and legacy for causes such as education, Catholic Charities and cancer research and cures. Services of Visitation will be held on Thursday, July 11 at the Murphy Funeral Home at 1102 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA 22046 from 2 to 4 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Friday, July 12 at St. Agnes Catholic Church at 1910 N. Randolph Street, Arlington, VA 22207 at 10:30 a.m. Internment will be held at the Columbia Gardens Cemetery at 3411 Arlington Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201. Please follow the link to see Ellen P. Coakley's article in the Catholic Herald: https://tinyurl.com/CatholicHeraldEllenPCoakley ; In lieu of flowers donations may be made to: