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Kevin James Coker
1948 – 2024

Kevin James Coker of Lake Ariel, Pennsylvania – beloved husband, devoted friend, and
loving father, uncle, and sibling – died suddenly on February 4th, 2024, at the age of 75. His
family and broad circle of friends will be forever saddened by his passing.

A highly decorated Police Officer and United States Marine, Kevin developed a fondness for
dogs and dirt bikes at an early age. His dog preferences were Mastiffs and American
bulldogs, which should come as no surprise. Like Kevin, they are known for their loyalty
and devotion. In his twenties, Kevin was introduced to Harley Davidson motorcycles.
Moving up from dirt bikes, Kevin loved the “Hogs” (and a couple of Moto Guzzis) for the
power, speed, and freedom they brought; he called riding them his “wind therapy”. Kevin
believed that life is a journey, not a race, and he collected nearly as many motorcycles
during his lifetime as he did friends, which included family members. But, while he sold,
traded-in or occasionally wrecked a bike, he never lost a friendship. If you were lucky
enough to count Kevin Coker as a friend, well, then, you were just plain lucky.

Kevin was born on September 19, 1948. He spent his childhood in Bay Ridge in Brooklyn
until his father relocated the family to Albany when Kevin was 10. Kevin was fascinated
with all things mechanical and as a youngster frequented a local garage. For a young boy
that loved cars, there was no better job in 1960s New York than working in a garage.
Learning skills by helping the mechanic is a rite of passage and Kevin embraced it. The
shop’s owner was tolerant of Kevin’s curiosity, letting him sweep up, restack inventory and
handle minor chores. Imagine his surprise when Kevin refused to take any pay, arguing that
he did not know enough. As time went on, scraping grease and emptying used oil buckets
expanded into fixing flats, replacing points, and learning timing sequences. Kevin was a
hard worker. The owner, having had an early glimpse of the personal integrity that would
define Kevin, finally insisted that he start taking pay to which Kevin reluctantly agreed.
In 1969, the Vietnam war was raging, and young men were serving or finding ways to avoid
the draft. Kevin enlisted in the United States Marine Corps, ready to put himself in harm’s
way because he believed in service to his country. Kevin had married young, and his wife
and baby joined him when he was stationed in the 29 Palms California Marine Base after
his basic training in Camp Lejeune. The Marine Corps teaches self-reliance, teamwork,
and a sense that no obstacle is insurmountable. That defined Kevin to a “T.” Scoring high
on the Armed Forces aptitude tests, he was sent to radio school, likely to become a grunt
with an even heavier pack and a long antenna that made a favorite enemy target. Vietnam’s
mountainous terrain required a new standard of communications. The remote firebases,

long range patrols, and airmobile operations required skilled “radio relay men”. While
awaiting deployment to Vietnam, Kevin was assigned to radio repair. There had been quite
a back-up of broken radios for some time. Kevin cleared the backlog and was very adept at
repairing and recommissioning the Marines’ aging equipment. The Command quickly
realized Kevin could save more lives working stateside and his deployment was
postponed. His second date for deployment had to be postponed because of a family
emergency. His hopes for going to Vietnam were dashed for good: while training other
marines on the firing range, a breech fire knocked Kevin out and he lost most of his hearing
in the right ear.

Kevin left the Marines with an honorable discharge in July 1972 and resettled his family in
Schenectady. With a sense of helping the community and needing a steady income for his                                                                                                                                                                                                young family, Kevin joined the Schenectady Police Department in 1977. It was the high-
water mark for what came to be dubbed the War on Drugs, a time of unprecedented drug                                                                                                                                                                                                    deaths and escalating crime, and Kevin wanted to be in the thick of it. He believed in
hands-on policing and was so committed to fighting the drug menace that he endeavored
to join the police departments in New York City or Miami Dade County, both of which were
well-funded and embroiled in battling waves of criminality. Kevin had an acceptance and
an offer from Miami Dade when he tragically crashed his motorcycle, losing part of his foot
and beginning a three-decade battle with both the pain of this injury and the limitations of a
disability. Two such things might crush a lesser person, but Kevin prevailed. He remained
on the Schenectady Police force and became a specialist in Accident Investigation, serving
many times as an expert witness. “Adapt, improvise, and overcome” is a Marine Corps
mantra and that’s exactly what Kevin did as he finished out his career in Schenectady                                                                                                                                                                                                      and moved to Florida where Kevin worked as a guardian ad litem and private investigator.

In the early 1990s, after Kevin’s adoptive parents, James M. and Rita Favor Coker had
passed, he began a search in earnest for his biological family. This was before the internet
and digital record-keeping. Kevin traveled countless times to the 42nd Street Library in
NYC and spent hours poring through books and microfiche. Through his extraordinary
effort, Kevin did find his biological mother, Kathleen Larkin, and in turn his four siblings
who wholeheartedly welcomed him.

Kevin met the love of his life 18 years ago, purely by chance. Karen had met and befriended
the Larkin clan about 5 years before and was a frequent visitor. He fell in love with her
contagious laugh and equally contagious love of life, animals of all kinds, and zany
adventurous spirit. She in turn admired his personal integrity, accomplishments, and
courage, and of course “he wasn’t half bad looking either!” Kevin was not taking any
chances: he moved into Karen’s Staten Island apartment, and they married two years later

in Key West during bike week. They treasured family and friends, their time together, their
dogs and other assorted pets, (including a cannibal turtle), and of course enough laughter
to last a lifetime!

“Sometimes it’s a little better to travel than to arrive!”

Kevin was a “badass” and a traveler, so each new bike got its own maiden voyage. As the
saying goes, “young riders choose a destination, while old riders choose a direction” and
last September, Kevin pointed his Harley in a Northwesterly direction. He took off for his
last unexplored corner of the country he so loved and had dedicated his life to defending.
He tackled 6,500 miles (about twice the width of the United States) solo, riding the
backroads, enjoying the freedom, nature, and of course many “blue plate” diner specials
across America. It was to be his final journey.

Kevin is survived by Karen, his beloved wife of 15 years; siblings Kathleen Larkin, Eileen
(Bill) Culley, Colleen Ayers, and Simon (Debbie) Larkin, as well as his daughter Regina and
son Richard. Also surviving are his loving nieces and nephews, grandchildren, and great
grandchildren. Kevin was predeceased by his son Kevin Jr., brother Dennis, mother
Kathleen, and Karen and Kevin’s sweet and very silly American bulldog, Milo.

Kevin’s legacy is one to envy. He valued friendship and family more than anything else and
will be sorely missed by all who came to know and love him.

To ensure that as many of us as possible may gather to honor Kevin’s memory, Karen has
chosen May 4th when the weather is fair, and spirits are high, to celebrate his life. The
service will be held from 12 noon to 4:30 PM at Lacawac Sanctuary, 94 Sanctuary Road,
Lake Ariel, PA

There will be representation from the Marine Corps League, the Blue Knights Motorcycle
Club, and the American Legion. Refreshments will be provided by The Mustard Seed.

An interment will be conducted at Indiantown Gap National Cemetery in Annville, PA, later
this summer.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in memory of Kevin are encouraged, to be sent to:

Tunnel to Towers Foundation a 501(c)(3) nonprofit,
Mailing address: 2361 Hylan Blvd,                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                    Staten Island NY 10306                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Website: t2t.org

Semper Fi, Kevin, … your Watch is now done, and we will take it from here.