Lawrence Eugene Coats

Lawrence Eugene “Larry” Coats, 74, died Thursday, December 12, 2019 at Clarehouse in Tulsa, Oklahoma due to complications associated with dementia. He leaves behind two sons, Craig (Dianna) and Kent Coats, three grandchildren, two great grandchildren and numerous nieces and nephews. Larry is preceded in death by his parents, Victor and Hazel Coats, and his sister, Karna Burr.



Larry was born in Neodesha, Kansas and grew up near Altoona, Kansas. He joined the Navy in 1963 and served two tours in Vietnam. He was honorably discharged as an E-5 in 1969. After leaving the Navy, he attended Spartan School of Aeronautics, graduating with his A&P License. He had a successful 40 year career in the aerospace industry, working for General Electric (Edwards AFB, CA), Lockheed Martin (Palmdale, CA), McDonnell Douglas (Tulsa, OK) and Boeing (Everett, WA and Mesa, AZ). He retired as a production manager from Boeing in Mesa, Arizona in 2010.



Larry was an avid motorcycle rider, competing in various types of races including flat track and the Barstow to Vegas cross-country desert race. He enjoyed fishing, and spent much of his vacation time with his young sons on Grand River in Langley, Oklahoma.



A celebration of life is tentatively planned for Summer 2020.