Wilfred S. Coakley Jr. was a remarkable man with extraordinary accomplishments in boxing, finance, insurance, writing, and law. Yet, he regarded them all as, well, ordinary.
“Speak softly and carry a big stick.” Former US President Teddy Roosevelt popularized this proverb. Coakley personified it.
But he was a skilled boxer and the first Bahamian president of the Commonwealth Boxing Council. So it might be more fitting to think of him as “an iron fist inside a velvet glove.”
He left an enviable professional legacy. It featured a law practice specializing in corporate and litigation work.
Indeed, how he used his legal skills in boxing might distinguish his legacy. He modified the Bahamas Boxing Act to bring its rules and regulations into compliance with international standards. It is also notable, though, that he promoted Elisha Obed – the only world boxing champion The Bahamas has ever produced.
He promoted me too. No, I was not a boxer. Instead, Coakley supervised my legal pupilage. But anyone who knew him knows he would not want me to wax too sentimental about that.
Suffice it to know that I couldn’t have wished for a more esteemed, professional, and nurturing mentor. And I couldn’t have been prouder when he presented me for my call to the Bar of The Bahamas in 2003.
Coakley promoted, tutored, and inspired many people. And many of them are far more acclaimed and suitable to eulogize him. But we all agree that marrying his lovely wife Dorothy in 1966 was his greatest accomplishment.
As indicated, Coakley had many reasons to beam with pride. But none filled him with the unbridled pride he exuded when speaking of his wife’s love and devotion.
I met him soon after he retired. And it was clear that he wanted nothing more than to spend the rest of his life indulging her every whim. No doubt he wanted to compensate for all her years of selfless love and devotion to him and their family.
Alas, fate intervened. It threw a devastating blow at this master of “the sweet science.” Coakley suffered a stroke; it was ironic and sad in equal measure.
That was five years ago. It left him bedridden. It robbed Dorothy of the love and protection that made him such a terrific husband. It robbed his children of the wisdom and strength that made him such a terrific father. And it robbed his friends of the wit and loyalty that made him such a terrific friend.
But that stroke proved a final testament to the good sense (and good fortune) Coakley had to marry Dorothy. Because she did not wallow in self-pity at her care-giving fate. Instead, she became the personification of those sacred vows:
To have and to hold from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.
I pay tribute this day to a man whose endearing humility defied his stellar achievements. But I pay tribute also to a woman whose enduring devotion defied her heavy burdens.
Coakley died peacefully at his home on April 11. He was 78.
Farewell, Wilfred.
NOTE: Funeral Service will be held tomorrow, Saturday, April 27, 2013, 10:00 a.m. at St. Agnes Anglican Church, Baillou Hill Road, Nassau, Bahamas.
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