Constance Wallis Eastwood Coates Obituary

Constance "Connie" Wallis Eastwood Coates, 97, our amazingly kind, loving and beloved mother, grandmother, and great grandmother passed from this life on May 12, 2025 in Alpine, Utah.

She was born Feb. 17, 1928 in Salt Lake City to Charles and Constance Eugene Wallis Eastwood.  She lived in Salt Lake City for her first 92 years, spending her last 5 years with her youngest daughter, Shelley Coates Parker, in Alpine.

Her father, Charles' father, John Eastwood, died when Charles was only 7 years old.  To help support his mother and family, having already worked half of a day since he was 12 as a weaver at a cotton mill, Charles dropped out of school at 13 and started working 10 hours a day.  He did this until 1913 when they were able to migrate to the U.S.  Because of his lack of education, it was hard for him to get a good paying job here. Consequently, while raising my mother and her siblings, Mary, Charles, Joe and June, the family was quite humble and poor.  Thankfully they received assistance from the church welfare program, ward members, relatives and neighbors.  This help blessed their lives immensely and got them through some very hard times.  For example, Connie wrote:  "One of our kind neighbors donated an old piano to us. Mary and I took lessons from the bishop's wife".  Through their kindness she learned to play and love music and became a kind and giving person herself as she would show in her adult life.

Connie also wrote:  "This was a great addition and brought us many hours of joy."

"Even though we were extremely poor, we enjoyed each other with singing, plays and family home evenings."

"I loved all my siblings, but I was particularly close to my sister, Mary. I idolized her beautiful singing voice, her accomplished piano skills and her sweet nature. I tried to be like her."

Tragedy struck her and her family when their mother passed away from cancer in the hospital on 30 Aug. 1943.  Connie was only 15 years old at the time.  She later wrote:  "I remember coming home from her burial and playing hymns on the piano to console myself.  My Aunt who was there asked me to stop because she felt like it was making everyone sad.  Life went on as we dealt with our sorrows of losing mother. We learned how to cope by relying on each other."

She enjoyed her education at Onequa Elementary School, Jackson Jr. High and at West High School, where she graduated in 1945 shortly after Germany surrendered marking the end of World War II in Europe.  One of her favorite classes was singing in Acapella.  Continuing to grow her skill and love for music, she also sang in the chorus for the school play/operetta, "H.M.S. Pinafore "by Gilbert & Sullivan  She made a lot of good friends at all these schools that she would enjoy for many years and who would positively affect her life.  She attended the Univ. of Utah briefly and LDS Business College with her friend, Lavae Billings for a short time to increase her office skills.

Along her road to learning, loving and performing music she wrote the following quotes:

"I was fortunate to have been chosen by my home ward (29th) to attend music conducting class at the McCune School of Conducting in the McCune Mansion taught by Richard P. Condie, who eventually conducted the Tabernacle Choir on Temple Square."

"Right after graduating HS, my friend Anna, convinced me to audition for the Salt Lake Oratorio Society that performed Handel's Messiah every December in the Salt Lake Tabernacle with a full orchestra. I sang in the choir for 50 years! It made the Christmas Holiday Season extra special."

One of her friends who likely had the most positive affect on her life was LaVae Billings, when she and her boyfriend, Fred Mason, introduced Connie to her future husband, Clyde Coates, on Jun. 5, 1946.

After 2 years of fun and dating, they were married on Sep. 24, 1948 in Salt Lake City.  After 59 years of marriage and lovingly raising a family of 3 girls and 2 boys, she was widowed at the passing of Clyde on Oct. 8, 2007.

She was an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints throughout her life.  For many years including when she was 19 years old, it was a tradition to hold a "Gold and Green Ball" in all the stakes and choose a Queen of the Ball. She was chosen to be Queen of the Golden Green Ball in her stake in 1947.

Some of her callings in the church over the years included Primary Chorister, Primary Secretary, Nursery Leader, Young Women's Camp Counselor, Young Woman's Sports Director, Young Women's President, Relief Society Secretary, Relief Society Chorister,  Relief Society Choir Director, a Stake Camp Director, Stake Historian, Stake and Ward Road Show Director and Member Locator with the Church Records Dept. as a 3-year mission.

In addition to her many church callings, remembering how her family had been blessed by the love and help of her ward and neighbors, she was always a loving, caring, helpful sister to many needy sisters in her ward for many years.  She would go out of her way to visit them regularly in their homes, provide food, comfort, and much needed love and assistance.

She also loved seasonal decorating, giving birthday parties and showers, reading, gardening and traveling.  She travelled to Europe several times, to Taiwan, the Philippines, Israel and all over the United States.

She had many jobs over her lifetime in Salt Lake City to include: Soda Jerker (making sodas, for her first job), clerk/typist at Beneficial Life, Fort Douglas, and the Army Administration Headquarters, and a secretary at West High School for several years until she retired.  She also worked as a clerk for the Navy Supply Depot in Clearfield, Utah.

She is survived by her 5 children, Mrs. Fred (Karen) Krommenhoek, Mr. Jerry (Cathy) Coates, Mrs. Calvin (Jolene) Jones, Mrs. David (Shelley) Parker, Mr. Larry (Jackie) Coates, 26 grand and step- grandchildren, and many great, step-great, great-great and step-great-great grandchildren.  One grandchild, Wade Terrell, proceeded her in death

Funeral services will be on Saturday, May 17, 2025 at the Rose Park North Stake Center, 1155 North 1200 West, Salt Lake City, Utah at 11:00 AM with the viewing from 9:30 – 10:30 beforehand.  The interment will follow at the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

All her family sincerely thanks the Hospice for Utah Team, especially Sara, for all their amazingly awesome and loving care over the past 2 plus years.