Kenneth Raymond Cote

Passed Away on April 17, 2014

Kenneth (Ken) Raymond Cote, 59, of Gilbert, AZ went to meet Jesus face-to-face in the early hours of Thursday, April 17th in Gilbert, AZ. His beloved wife, Denise, was by his side. Ken passed away after a long courageous battle with cancer. He was not defined by the cancer but in the character in which he fought the disease. Ken leaves behind his wife of 43 years, Denise, his son Jeff and daughter Laurie all from Gilbert, AZ, his sister Diane Cote of AZ, his brother Joel Cote of FL and his sister Gail Cote of CT. He also leaves six grandchildren, four nieces and nephews and his canine companion, Buddy. Ken is preceded in death by his parents, Wilfred Cote and Cecile Girard Cote as well as his brother David Cote. Ken moved his family west to Arizona from Connecticut where he worked at American Standard for 18 years. In Arizona, he became one of the first employees of the east Mesa tire recycling and crumb rubber manufacturing facility. His contribution to this industry as shipping and receiving manager allowed him to participate in making a huge impact on the environmental health of Arizona by doing his part to recycle the waste tires from all over Arizona. Ken worked in the same industry for the next 12 years until he had to retire due to severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. It was shortly after that time that he discovered he had cancer and began that battle. Ken was well respected by everyone he worked with and his contagious raspy laugh and gritty sense of humor enabled him to make friends easily. He was a loyal kind of guy who never forgot birthdays or special events. He had a passion for living life surrounded by friends and family. He will truly be missed. A celebration of life will be held at the Cote Residence; 3840 E Lexington Ave., Gilbert, AZ on what would have been Ken’s 60th birthday, May 4, 2014 at 2PM. In lieu of flowers, donations are being accepted for the American Cancer Society. There has been a Mosiac web page on the American Cancer Society website at http://main.acsevents.org/goto/kencote set up for donations. Please stop by the page and leave a note in the guest book.