Eugene (Gene) A. Coe

September 19, 1943 ~ October 8, 2021

PORT ORANGE - Eugene (Gene) A. Coe, 78, of Port Orange, Fl, passed away peacefully with close family by his side on October 8th, 2021 following a long battle with lung disease.
Born in Pontiac, Michigan to Eugene (Bud) Coe and Cynthia Johnson, Gene spent most of his adolescent years in Lake Orion, Michigan and it was there that he met the love of his life, Connie White, and went on to have three wonderful children.
Gene graduated from Wayne State University in 1965 with his degree in Pharmacy. He started his career with Perry Drugs and then in 1974, began his long journey as an independent business owner in Fair Haven, Michigan.
Long before CVS, Walgreens, Walmart and Target, there was Fair Haven Pharmacy. In the 1970's and 1980's, Gene and the Fair Haven Pharmacy staff faithfully served the community for more than a decade as trail blazers who offered a full suite of products and services to residents and passersby every day of the year except Christmas. Even then, you'd still find Gene at the store for just an hour or so doing a favor for those who forgot to buy batteries, ran out of a bottle of their holiday finest or simply needed a little OTC pain medication to make it through the long day ahead.
In 1984, Gene like many Michiganders, left snowy Michigan winters for Florida. It didn't take long for Gene to become an important member and contributor to the southeast pharmaceutical community. In the Sunshine State, Gene held various store and district management positions for corporations like Kmart, Target and Orange Belt Pharmacy before he eventually settled back into what made him most happy, his own store. In 2018 and not without much hesitation, Gene retired as owner of The Medicine Shoppe in Port Orange, Fl.
When Gene wasn't running his business and enjoying his family and friends, he was an avid Detroit sports fan. Even after decades of disappointment, Gene still roared for the Detroit Lions because God knows they can't roar on their own. Those who knew Gene also knew that he wanted to live long enough to see the Lions win the Super Bowl. That was his way to immortality, one can only assume.
Gene was predeceased by his wife Connie Coe in 2012 and leaves behind his children and their spouses Cynthia and Dale Swartzfager, Stephen and Lourdes Coe and Robert and Andrea Coe; brothers Fred Coe and Lloyd Coe; grandchildren Nicole Doig, Christopher Lane, Anthony Lane, Rachael Lane, Shane Duggan, Alyssa Coe, Caitlyn Coe, Cameron Coe, Parker Coe and Tanner Coe; 10 great grandchildren and an incredibly long list of close family and friends.
Services will be held at a later date and time to toast and celebrate Gene's incredible life with family and friends. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Lung Association.