Terry Wayne Coffey
Terry Wayne Coffey, 70, passed away on Sunday, October 27, 2024, in Chattanooga after a construction accident.
He was born on April 6, 1954, in Chattanooga. His parents, Don Sylvester Coffey and Betty Kate Dixon Coffey, both residents of Hamilton County, predeceased him.
He is survived by his widow Jennifer Strotheide Coffey of Centralia, Il., daughters Kellie Michelle Coffey Isaacson (Michael Travis known as Travis) and Amanda Leigh Coffey (Trevor Jackson) both of Hamilton County, grandsons, Jonny Oliver Isaacson and Leland Thomas Isaacson, half-brother, Richard Thomas Dixon (Judy) of Hixson and brother, Kim Michael Coffey of Jupiter, Fl.
Terry graduated from Rivermont Elementary School and Red Bank Junior High School and attended Red Bank High School and Chattanooga High School, later earning his GED. He was quite an athlete, excelling in swimming and gymnastics, showing great promise especially with the rings. He and his brother Kim were known for their skills and success sailing Hobie Cat sailboats.
Terry was a skilled master carpenter known area wide for his finishing skills with sheetrock and painting. His work ethic and honesty dealing with those fortunate enough to have him do construction projects for them were also well-known. Despite his dyslexia, he was brilliant with machines, electrical and mechanical projects and of course woodworking of all sorts. He had no patience with crooked or knotty lumber and shopped carefully for the best materials for a project. He was also very adept at mathematics which served him well in his career.
Terry had many hobbies. He was a gardener, growing the biggest and sweetest blueberries, with a childlike wonder for the natural world. He loved searching for artifacts and natural objects, such as finding four-leaf clovers or going prospecting out west. He was a student of history and nature and was often watching the History Channel on TV or You Tube to learn how to fix things. But by far his favorite hobby was fishing. Terry knew when and how to catch the best fish and where the best places to fish were located. He loved to talk about his fishing adventures and share his love of fishing with others. He was not a professional mechanic but he was really good at helping machines run properly and loved riding his motorcycle.
Terry was not a member of clubs or any group, but he had a gift of gab that made people smile, and it seemed easy for him to make friends with others. He had a wonderful booming laugh and enjoyed finding something interesting to talk about. According to his grandson, he brought joy and light to everyone he knew.
Terry was a loving father, caring husband, good brother and a steadfast friend to many and will be missed deeply. We all hope he is off to the great fishing camp in the sky.
No services are planned at this time.