Katie Elizabeth (McKibben) Coates

Katie Elizabeth (McKibben) Coates passed away on July 29, 2021, during an unfortunate accident while on vacation with her husband and his family. She was 33 years old.

Katie was born on April 11, 1988, to Craig and Robin McKibben in Defiance, Ohio.  She was baptized and confirmed at Zion Lutheran Church in Defiance. True to her independent spirit, she left her home church during high school to attend First Baptist Church.  Her faith continued to grow as she was able to participate in a mission trip to the Dominican Republic.  While there, she was baptized (again) in the ocean.  She was always delighted in that decision.

In 2006, Katie graduated from Ayersville High School.  While there, she lettered in swimming, track and field, softball, and cheerleading.  She also performed in each yearly high school musical and played several instruments in concert and marching band. She also enjoyed working at Dee & Gee’s Dairy Bar.

Katie graduated from Bowling Green State University in 2011 with a B.S. in Education.  Later she returned to earn a Master’s degree in Classroom Technology from BGSU.  While attending as an undergraduate, she was a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and the Alpha Phi Omega service fraternity.  In addition to the many positions held in her sorority and fraternity, she was secretary of the Greek Independent Board, Orientation Team Leader, Campus Tour Guide, Dance Marathon Morale Captain and was passionate about volunteering with Special Olympics.

The day after graduation, Katie (and her college sweetheart) left on a cross country move to Seattle, Washington.  Without jobs!  Almost immediately, she got a job as a barista at a local coffee shop where she was nicknamed “Ohio” for her NW Ohio accent.  By the end of summer, she was hired as an intervention specialist at Albert Einstein Elementary School.

She loved Seattle and teaching but missed her friends and family in Ohio.  So, while home during summer vacation, she applied for and accepted a position in Columbus, Ohio.  She gained experience and insight at this charter school but decided to change schools the next year.  She had another successful year, but the next year she found her perfect fit at Millersport Elementary School.  She loved teaching and she loved her students- students she had in class and her “student council kids.”  Ever the organizer and service oriented, Katie was instrumental in starting the Millersport Elementary Student Council and strived to make it an asset to the students and school.  She was secretary of the local and a member of the OEA, and NEA.  Katie was proud to be an educator and delighted to join the many educators in her immediate and extended family.

Katie found the love of her life and married Benjamin Carl Coates on March 27, 2021.  They were perfect for each other, and it was a perfectly beautiful day.  They loved each other and they loved their four-legged “fur babies”:  Hunter, Lucy and Link.  Hunter and Lucy even made an appearance at the wedding for a photo op.  Their sweet Dravyn had recently passed.

Katie loved fiercely, passionately, and completely.  She lived with conviction, compassion, and fairness.  She influenced and touched so many lives.  And yet she never allowed herself to realize how special and how truly beautiful she was inside and out.  We lost her way too soon.  We are heartbroken but know that her heavenly Father holds her in His arms.  He loves her even more than we do and will make her perfectly healthy and joyful.  We will see her again.  Thanks be to God!

Katie is survived by her husband, Benjamin Coates; parents, Craig and Robin McKibben; brothers, Kirk (Lindsay) McKibben and Kyle (Kelsey) McKibben; grandfather, Richard Baldwin; in-law parents, Teresa Coates, David and Sylvia Coates; sister-in-law, Jenny (Dustin) England; grandmother-in-law, Karen Rebman; and lovingly adored nephews and nieces, Brooks, Clark, Carter, and Kendall McKibben, Lily and Maren England.  She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Shirley Baldwin, Kenneth and Betty McKibben.

A funeral service will be held Saturday, August 7 at 1:00 p.m. at Frank E. Smith Funeral Home, 405 North Columbus Street, Lancaster, Ohio. Visitation will begin 2 hours before the service at 11:00 a.m.

Burial will follow at Forest Rose cemetery.

Suggested memorials are to the Millersport Elementary Student Council at Millersport Elementary, 11850 Lancaster St., Millersport, OH  43046

There will be open visitation for family and friends in Defiance, Ohio on Monday, August 9 from 4-7 p.m. at the Ayersville United Methodist Church, 27728 Ayersville Pleasant Bend Rd.  Online condolences can be made at www.funeralhome.com