James L. Coates, Jr., age 88, of Wilmington, Delaware, formerly of Philadelphia, PA passed away on August 10, 2024.

Jim was born and raised in Philadelphia, where he also raised his family before retiring to Delaware. He worked as a mechanic at Wilkie VW for many years before starting his own car repair business, where he worked alongside his two sons.

Jim was a kind and caring man, always taking the time to stop and say a kind word to strangers. He never missed an opportunity to tell his family members how much he loved them and would do anything for them. Every day, Jim told his beloved wife, Trudy, how wonderful she was and how much she was loved.

Jim was preceded in death by his grandchildren, Sean Coates and Richard Coates. He is survived by his wife of 69 years, Gertrude “Trudy” Coates of Delaware; his daughters, Debbie Mallender (James Mallender) and Lori Brosnan (Dan Brosnan) of Delaware; his sons, Reverend Christopher Coates (Meredith Coates) and James Coates of Philadelphia, and Richard Coates (Jackie Coates) of Bensalem, Pennsylvania; his sisters, Kathy Tomkin of PA, Sandra Falvo (David Falvo) of PA, and Linda Kreider of FL. He is also survived by his grandchildren, Kate Hassey, Jamie Coates, Tina Coates, Melanie Heinz, Sarah Krupa, Maeghan (Mac) Coates, Mary Kate Coates, Molly Coates, Will Coates, and Anna Coates; as well as his great-grandchildren, Sebastian, Sasha, Anthony, Julian, Jaden, Logan, Pierce, Dash, Amelia, Lila, Sterling, Amari, Gabriel, and Ivy.

A viewing will be held at the Gebhart Funeral Home, 3401 Philadelphia Pike, Claymont, DE 19703 on Wednesday, August 21, 2024 from 11:00 am until 12:00 pm, where a funeral service will begin at 12:00 pm.  Burial will follow in Silverbrook Cemetery, 3300 Lancaster Pike, Wilmington, DE 19805.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer’s Association.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to caretakers Samantha Etsy, Angie Brown, and Debbie Harris for their kindness, warmth, and care during Jim's final days.

To offer condolences, please visit:

Gebhartfuneralhomes.com

302.798.7726