Cote, Alfred, Caribou, in Caribou, May 3, 2008. The family welcomes friends to pay their respects at a memorial service at 11 a.m., May 8, at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Caribou. Arrangements are in the care of the Mockler Funeral Home, Caribou.
Caribou – Alfred “Hap” Cote passed away suddenly in his Caribou home Saturday afternoon, May 3, 2008, after a long battle with cancer. “Hap” was the middle son of the late Reuben Joseph and Annette (Cyr) Cote of Limestone. Hap grew up on the family farm in Limestone, taking over when his father Reuben became disabled with lung disease. Hap loved farming and was named “Young Farmer of the Year” in the mid-‘70’s. When farming became less economically viable for small family farmers, he moved into law enforcement, first as a reserve officer and then as a patrolman for the Limestone Police Department. He then served the Aroostook County Sherriff’s Department Transportation Division for 25 years during which he became well known as a fair and genial man. Hap retired in 2005 as the lieutenant in command of the Transportation Division. Hap’s friends knew him as a self-taught “jack of all trades” who enjoyed gardening, hunting, cooking, woodworking, mechanics, and carpentry. After designing and building his home with wood from his own land, Hap continuously found improvements and projects to hone his many skills, one of which was clock-making. Many friends and family members have enjoyed the bounty of Hap’s gardens and his culinary specialty, smoked turkey.
Hap was predeceased by his parents Annette & Reuben Cote of Limestone; sister Frieda “Sis” Classy of Fairfield, Connecticut; brother Paul “Bert” Cote of Rock Hill, South Carolina, and an infant brother Patrick Cote of Limestone.
Hap is survived by his wife, Darylen (McQuirk) Cote, and their children Shane Philip Cote and his wife Erin of Farmington, and Shanin Deborah Cote of Caribou; brother Nathan “Nate” Cote and his wife Monique of Las Cruces, New Mexico; sister-in-law Therése “Tess” Cote of Rock Hill, South Carolina; Gladys “Doe” Cote of Charleston, South Carolina; Cheryl “Bonnie” Turo and her husband Steve of Cartersville, Georgia; brother-in-law George Classy of Fairfield, Connecticut; sister-in-law Marylen McQuirk Snyder of Overland Park, Kansas; and brother-in-law Patrick McQuirk and wife Mary Lynn of Lansing, Kansas. Hap was also a beloved uncle to twenty nieces and nephews and treasured his relationships to many aunts, uncles and cousins.
The family welcomes friends to pay their respects at a memorial service at 11 a.m. Thursday, May 8, at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Caribou, with the Reverend Maury Landry officiating and the Reverend Father David Cote serving as lector. A reception will follow at the church. Donations to the Annette Cote Memorial Scholarship for Nurses c/o Mary Harrigan, Cary Medical Center, 163 Van Buren Road, Caribou, ME 04736 or the Lance Armstrong Foundation (LAF) at www.livestrong.org will be appreciated in lieu of flowers.
Honorary pallbearers are Hap’s lifelong friends and colleagues: Dale Brooker, Wayne Bubar, Gerald Michaud, Greg Ward, Randy Brooker, Steve Belanger and Dan Robertson. Arrangements by Mockler Funeral Home, 24 Reservoir St., Caribou. For online registery please go to www.mocklerfuneralhome.com.
