Norma L Coate

OLIVET - Norma Louise Coate, 86, of Olivet passed away at 9:18 p.m. Wednesday, May 24, 2006, at Provena United Samaritans Medical Center. She was born February 19, 1920, in Paris, IL, the daughter of Gene and Hazel (Strawser) Collins. She married Dennis F. Coate on September 14, 1947 at Union Corner Church in Danville. She is survived by her son Phillip. She was preceded in death by her parents and her husband. Norma graduated from Danville High School in 1938. She attended the St. Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing and graduated in 1946 as a registered nurse. She worked at both St. Elizabeth and Lakeview hospitals for a number of years and also was a nurse at the Vermilion County Nursing Home for a short time. She left nursing to open a gift and yarn shop at Coate Orchards in 1961. She sold a wide variety of items including Fenton and L.G. Wright art glass and Frakoma pottery. She also held classes in knitting and needlework. She enjoyed knitting, most of all and in her latter years, knitted baby caps and donated them to Provena in Danville for the newborns. Norma and her husband, Dennis, were active in their community. When they were operating the orchard, Norma conducted many tours of their business for kindergarten and grade school students showing them how apples were harvested and prepared for sale. Norma was a member of the PTA for the old Olivet Grade School and was a Cub Scout den mother for the Olivet Troop. She was also a member of the American Legion Dornblaser Post 203 Womens Auxiliary and the St. Elizabeth School of Nursing Alumni Association. A celebration of Normas life is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 31, 2006, at Sunset's Houghton-Leasure Chapel. Officiating will be Pastor James Walker. Final resting place will be at Vermillion Grove Cemetery. Memorials may be made to Vermillion Grove Friends Church.