Marion W. Coles

Our mother, grandmother, aunt and friend, Marion Wilsie Coles, was born on March 25,1920 in the mining town of Killarney, WV. Her father, Roy Cawthorn, would soon suffer a mining accident in the 1920s that resulted in him being institutionalized for the remainder of his life. Her mother, Ruth, along with Marion and her three brothers returned to the family homestead in Keysville, VA. While in elementary school, Marion moved to Brooklyn, NY and lived with her Aunt Rozena until her marriage to Allen Jr. in 1944. She attended Girls High School and then enrolled in classes at Brooklyn College. Although she successfully worked a variety of jobs for a number of years, she viewed her primary responsibility as providing a stable home for her husband and children. Upon retirement, Marion lived in Palm Bay, Florida, for over thirty years and attended St. Paul Lutheran Church in Melbourne, Florida. Ten years ago, she moved to Los Lunas, NM.

She was preceded in death by her husband of 66 years, and her brothers Leonard, Winlas, and Ferron. She is survived by her children, Allen Coles, III (Gladys) of Columbia, SC and Gail Coles Banks (Don) of Los Lunas; five grandchildren and six great-grandchildren.

Marion was a loving wife and mother whose family will be forever grateful for her love and support. As we mourn Marion's passing, we are grateful that we had her for 95 years in relatively good health. We believe she earnestly tried to be here for the birth of her newest and sixth great-grandchild, but just ran out of life. He would be born in Houston, Texas two days after her death.

A visitation is scheduled for Saturday, August 8, 2015 from 10:00am to 11:00am with a funeral service to follow at the Life Event Center at Florida Memorial, 5950 South US Highway 1, Rockledge, FL.