Kurt Dennis Coon

 Kurt Dennis Coon

     It was late December 1967. The last exams of the day had been completed earlier in the day.   That evening many students could be found gathering in the Wilson (dormitory) Grill before leaving the following morning for Christmas break. 

     In the style of the day I was wearing tight white Levis as I was waiting in line to get a coke. I felt a tap on my left shoulder and turned around to face a GIANT grin beaming from the face of an unfamiliar male student who was standing next to his roommate. "Mr. Grin" blurted out, “He wants to get his hands on your butt." (Exact words) The roommate turned a bright shade of red and looked like he could kill his crazy friend. So begins the story of how Kurt and I met, and then dated throughout our college years, which eventually led to 49 years of a happy marriage before his passing. 

     Kurt was raised and grew up on a dairy farm in Bannister. He learned to milk cows and drive tractor at an early age. In subsequent years his mornings started in the barn long before the school bell rang. Afterward he drove himself to school in Ashley in the 1946 Chevy even before he was of legal age. In fact, he drove himself to drivers training.

     He transferred to Elsie High School in eleventh grade and graduated with the class of 1965. In the fall of that year he entered MSU where he earned a degree in geology.

     He then served as a commissioned officer in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Corps being assigned to sea duty on the NOAA ship Pathfinder based out of Seattle. With other personnel from the ship, he measured and recorded water depths to document the precise location of hazards to navigation such as rocks, reefs and even shipwrecks on the seafloor. In the close confines of the ship, he made some close and long-lasting friends who have kept in close contact with each other through the years. 

     In 2018, he was blessed with a new liver through Gift of Life Michigan; he was forever grateful that it afforded him six additional years with his family and friends.   Two years ago when he was felled by a stroke in his home, doctors didn't expect him to live. Through determination and goal setting, he advanced from not being able to sit up in bed to driving a combine for the fall harvest. 

     You've probably heard the old adage "A farmer is a man out/standing in his field. It describes Kurt to a T. Along with his brother Ken; he was an excellent steward of the land, producing bountiful crops of corn and soybeans. 

     Kurt and I raised two children: Melissa (Mark) Galecka of New Hudson, MI; and James (Vickie) Coon of Ovid, MI. Our three granddaughters include: Abby Seybert, Emily Seybert, and Olyvia Coon.  Other surviving siblings include: Ken and Peggy Coon of Bannister, MI; Pam and Rod King of Perrinton, MI; and one sister-in-law Mary Coon of Georgia.. He is also survived by his "favorite little doggie" Snoopy.  He was preceded in death by his parents, Giles and Margaret Coon, his brother Doug Coon, and his in-laws George and Marie Kippola.

     An informal gathering to honor Kurt's memory will be held on Friday, May 31, 2024, from 4-9 P.M. at the farm.  Please, come to enjoy a meal and bring a story with you.

     Memorials may be made to the Gift of Life Michigan.  Online condolences may be made at www.smithfamilyfuneralhomes.com.  The family is being served by Smith Family Funeral Homes, Elsie, Michigan