David Robert Coffield Jr.

In 1947, David was born into a career military family in Wheeling, West Virginia. He was the first-born child of Berneice Wallace and David Robert Coffield, Sr. Because of his father’s Air Force career, the family lived in many locations in the United States and abroad. At a young age, David lived in Madrid, Spain and Marrakesh, Morocco, igniting his love of travel and adventure. The family settled near Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland.

David graduated from Surrattsville High School in 1965 and soon after joined the US Navy. After attending nuclear power school, he was assigned to his first nuclear submarine, the USS Kamehameha based in Hawaii and Guam. In 1969, David was selected for the Navy Enlisted Scientific Education Program to study physics at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, beginning his love of all things Carolina. While at Carolina, David met the love of his life Martha or Marti, as he called her, and they married in 1972.

Future duty stations included Norfolk, Virginia on the fast attack submarine USS Flying Fish; the USS Orion and USS Howard W. Gilmore in La Maddalena, Sardinia, where he worked as the Radiological Control Officer, and the US Naval Hospital in Naples, Italy where he directed two counseling centers.

David was always active – skiing, camping, sightseeing, windsurfing, enjoying the Italian lifestyle, and running the Paris Marathon in 1983. With almost 20 years of service, in 1985 David was catastrophically injured in a motorcycle accident, was medically retired, and began a very different chapter of his life.

After completing rehabilitation at the VAMC, Richmond, he enrolled at Virginia Commonwealth University, earning a Master of Science degree in Rehabilitative Counseling. After additional training, David was appointed Chief of Prosthetics at the VAMC Hampton, retiring in 2002.

Early on, David joined Paralyzed Veterans of America, remaining active for many years. He served as National Director for the Mid-Atlantic Chapter, traveling to Washington to speak with members of Congress. He was a founding member of the Hampton Roads Sailing Center, an organization which offered sailing experiences to veterans and others. He helped create programs for veterans to participate in equestrian classes at Dream Catchers, a local therapeutic riding center. David served on the Boards of the Seaford Yacht Club and CASA, Court Appointed Special Advocates in Williamsburg. He participated in the Peer Mentoring Program on SCI, VAMC Richmond, helping other injured veterans adjust to their new lives. David was honored to carry the torch for the 1996 Paralympics in Atlanta.

David continued to travel with his wife to over 60 countries, compete in wheelchair sports, locally and nationally, and be an involved member of his community, advocating for more accessibility. He was often seen walking his beloved cocker spaniels. He lived a full and meaningful life and helped others to do the same.

David cherished his family and he was cherished by them. His unrelenting determination and indomitable spirit was inspiring.

David is preceded in death by his parents and sister, Carrie Williams. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Martha Cottrell Coffield; sisters, Judy Ham of Montross, Virginia and Sandy Coffield of Hollywood, Maryland; brother, Larry Coffield of Dallas, Texas; nieces, Samantha Bussert and Amanda Williams; and a host of great-nieces, cousins, and lifelong friends.

Burial will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made the Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA), https://pva.org/, or to Dream Catchers Therapeutic Riding Center in Toano, Virginia, https://dreamcatchers.org/.