ST. AUGUSTINE, FL — William “Bill” J. Cote, formerly of Newport, N.H. died in Florida on Monday Dec. 31, 2018 after a long illness. He was 77.
Bill Cote was born Oct. 26, 1942 to Leon and Verna Cote, then of Springfield, N.H., and graduated in 1960 from Towle High School in Newport, N.H. Bill was was a stand-out athlete in football, basketball, and track, and played in the 1960 Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl all-star football game.
In 1963, Bill married his first wife Mary “Bebe” Kelly of Newport. He earned a degree in education from Plymouth (N.H.) State College in 1965 and went on to teach physical education in Sunapee, N.H., schools and coached Sunapee High School’s varsity sports.
Bill moved to Fort Myers, FL, in 1972 and worked nearly 30 years for the US Postal Service there. On Thanksgiving Day in 1984 he married Carol Kubesh to whom he was happily married until her death in October 2017. Bill was an avid amateur poker player, woodworker and outdoorsman. He lived in Cape Coral, FL, for forty years until moving to a memory care facility in St. Augustine, FL. in 2017.
Bill was pre-deceased by his brother Peter Cote, parents Leon and Verna Philbrick Cote, and wife Carol Cote. He is survived by his children: Paul Cote (St. Augustine, FL), Beth Cote (Philadelphia, PA); step-children: Bud Kubesh (Cape Coral, FL) and Cathy Kubesh Somers (Gore, VA); first cousins Peggy Prew, Vickki Kimball and Kay Sisk (all of New London, N.H.) and Bruce Philbrick (Sterling, MA); as well as grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
Private services will be held in Florida and New Hampshire. Memorial donations may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association, www.alz.org, 225 N. Michigan Ave., Fl. 17, Chicago, IL 60601.