Thomas L. Coates, 79, of Floral City, FL passed away November 12, 2022 at Citrus Memorial Hospital in Inverness, FL of heart failure. He was born in St. Charles, Missouri on June 23, 1943 to the late Edward and Maria (Rueber) Coates. Tom was the owner/operator of Aquatic Marine Systems a bridge building and marine construction company. He was a world traveler, visiting over 100 countries. He met his loving bride of 50 years on the other side of the world. They lived in Sail, Australia; Tacoma, Washington; San Francisco and Tampa before moving to their farm in Floral City in 1986. Tom enjoyed golf, reading, music, cooking (especially curry) and feeding the wild hawks. He was a lover of hot sauce, politics and great conversations. He could connect with anyone and knew no stranger. He is mourned by his loving wife Elizabeth Coates; his daughters Krisstina Stanley (John) of Brownfield, Maine, Leann LaBarre (Nicholas) of Winter Garden, FL and Danialle Coates (Thomas DeMonica) of Inverness, FL; sister Kimberly Smith-Martinez; and three grandchildren. A Celebration of Life for Tom will be held at the family farm at a later date. Private cremation arrangements under the care of Chas. E. Davis Funeral Home.
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