22/12/2023
Chris Coe – RIP
I'm sorry to have to tell you of the death of my lovely wife Chrissy on Wednesday 20th December. She died peacefully in Bridge House Care Home, Brighouse, holding hands with our daughter Lucy and myself.
Chrissy's health had deteriorated over the past three weeks and I and the carers were having trouble getting her to eat or drink. I was called into the home last Saturday to consult with the doctor. Her frailty was such that it was clear that another hospitalisation would be both distressing and ineffective, so she transferred onto an end of life care pathway. Lucy and I spent our days with her and towards the end kept vigil overnight.
On the Sunday, the brass quartet I had booked as a Christmas treat for her and the other residents played in the corridor outside her room. On Tuesday afternoon, Pete Coe, myself, Lucy, and Annie Dearman along with Chris Gladwin, played and sang for her in her room. We sang the carols she had accompanied and sung with Ryburn 3 Step over several decades – Sweet Bells, the waltz version of The Holly and the Ivy and of course George Dunn's Wassail Song. Her long time singing partner Annie sang her some of the songs that they had sung together and Pete and I played two sets of tunes that would have been stamped firmly on her memory, given that she had played them with us for years on her hammer dulcimer which, sadly, was standing silent in the corner of her room.
It has been my honour to care for her over the last few years as she struggled with Parkinson's along with other debilitating conditions. She faced the difficulties with humour and bravery and during her last six months these same qualities endeared her to the staff at Bridge House and they became part of our family, caring for Chrissy with the love and affection she was always able to attract.
I don't need to say anything about her contribution to the folk scene as it is laid out plainly in her EFDSS Gold Badge Award citation by Vic Gammon. I'll just add these extracts and link to the full text in the comments.
“We think of a Renaissance person as someone who is skilled and well-versed in many fields of knowledge, skill, work, etc. Chris Coe is a renaissance woman: singer, instrumentalist, artist, designer, writer, teacher, dancer, actor, great company and an outstanding human being. Not everyone is aware of the range of Chris’ achievements, which include qualifications in medical microbiology, fine art and being a skilled welder!”
“The Gold Badge of the EFDSS is awarded ‘to those who have made unique or outstanding contributions to the art or science of folk dance, music or song’. We could convert the ‘or’s in the sentence into ‘and’s - for Chris has made both unique and outstanding contributions to dance and music and song and we could add drama. You only get one Gold Badge, even if you deserve it three times over. Vic Gammon”
Bon voyage darling Chrissy.
