Wilma Cole

Wilma Fae Cole passed away on September 29, 2025. Born in Indianapolis at Riley Hospital on September 13, 1931, she was the daughter of the late Charles and Lela Bridges. Her mother died shortly after her birth, so Fae was raised by the late Earl O. and Myrtle Coffman. She was never thought of as less than a daughter to Earl and Myrtle and a sister to Cecil and Glenn, who have also predeceased her.

A funeral service will be held on Thursday, October 9th at 11:00 AM at Marsh Funeral Home, 305 N Cemetery Rd, Gurnee, IL, followed by interment at Willow Lawn Cemetery,

Fae’s formative years were spent in Indianapolis. She attended Stephen Foster Grade School #67 and graduated from George Washington High School in 1949. She then attended Indianapolis Business college and worked in the office at L.S. Ayres Department Store, earning the money to enter nurses training at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. She graduated with an RN in 1955 and continued her studies at Indiana University in Bloomington and was awarded a Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Education, in 1960.

From that point on she broadened her horizons and moved to Chicago, Illinois, to accept a position as staff nurse at the Illinois State Psychiatric Institute (ISPI). It was during this time that she saved up enough money to go to Europe for a year with a friend. Upon landing in Germany, she bought a Karman-Ghia and drove it across Europe to Italy, then back to France, where she had her car shipped to New York. She took the ferry to England, giving the car a chance to reach New York before her. She picked it up in New York and drove back to Chicago on her own.

As she progressed up the ladder to Head Nurse at ISPI, the desire to continue further study was strong, but she had no interest in leadership roles, preferring hands on contact with patients. Thus, she decided to switch fields and went on to obtain a master’s degree in social work from the University of Chicago, graduating in 1967.

Fae held a number of positions following graduation. She was a social worker for the Chicago School Board and served in the Senn High School District. After three years, she yearned to return to the health field and accepted a position as Social Worker for the VA Hospital at North Chicago, Illinois. She worked there for a total of 25 years and then felt the call back to nursing. The last 8 years of her career were spent as a night charge nurse at Whitehall Nursing Home in Deerfield, Illinois.

She married her husband of 21 years on March 17, 1967. After several moves in and around the Northern Chicago suburbs, they finally settled in Gurnee, Illinois. There were no children of this marriage. Fred predeceased her in 1988.

Fae enjoyed many activities in her life. She was an avid golfer and continued to play up into her 80’s. While still working at Whitehall, she took many trips to countries far and wide, sometimes traveling with friends and sometimes going solo with the Hoosier Travelers. Of the 20 some countries that she visited, her favorite destination was the trip to China and Japan in 2005. She spent the remainder of her years keeping in touch with friends and family. She was a member of the Gurnee Community Church in Gurnee.

She is survived by her 5 nephews: Jim (Pat), Jerry (Marlene), John (Rayann) and Jay (Lisa) Coffman, sons of Glenn, and David Coffman, son of Cecil, plus their offspring.