Obituary of David Coates

David passed away at home in Waterloo in the presence of loving family members on Sunday, September 23, 2012. Treasured husband of Carmeta (Betsy) Abbott, beloved father of Susan Coates and loved father-in-law of Bruce Pratt of Toronto, proud grandfather of Kyra-Mei and Ana-Li Coates-Pratt, much beloved brother of Rosemary Crawford (Dick) of Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. Predeceased by his wife, Claire (Narraway), and by his parents Eloise and Haskell Coates. Loving uncle to Jill Nelson (Reed) of Toronto, David (Barbara) Kelowna, B.C. and Robert Crawford of Halifax, N.S. Brother-in-law to Ken Narraway (Helen) of Portland, Ontario and caring uncle to his three nieces Kathy Narraway (Elaine) of Toronto, Cheryl Wood (Ron) and Chris Narraway of Ottawa. David was the cherished step-father of Kenneth Abbott (Mary Lou Longworth) of Aix-en-Provence, France, Elizabeth Abbott of Hamilton and Nike Abbott of Waterloo. David was a graduate of the University of Toronto in Electrical Engineering. He was a member of the Canadian Naval Reserve, worked at Canadian General Electric and at Atomic Energy of Canada. In 1961, he completed his M. Sc. in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Illinois and was awarded his doctorate in Nuclear Engineering from that university in 1968. During 1960's, he was professor at the University of Waterloo and subsequently worked in administration at Dalhousie and through the 1970's, '80's , '90's at York university and at Seneca College. He was a founding member of the Kitchener-Waterloo Bilingual School and a long-time resident of Woodbridge, Ontario. Friends are invited to an informal open house at David and Betsy's home on Sunday, September 30, from 2-6 pm in Waterloo where they can greet family members from near and far. A Celebration of David's Life will be held on Tuesday, October 2, at 1:00 p.m. at Windermere United Church, 356 Windermere Ave in Toronto. In lieu of flowers, donations in David's name may be made to the K-W Symphony, the Grand River Hospital Foundation, Nature Canada, Planned Parethhood or a charity of your choice. Condolences for the family and donations may be arranged through the funeral home at www.erbgood.com or 519-745-8445.