Obituary
Muriel Merris Coffey

Muriel M. Coffey, age 101, passed peacefully at home on January 29, 2024. She was born in Jersey City, NJ on October 31, 1922. Muriel spent her childhood in East Orange, NJ. She enjoyed many outdoor activities such as roller skating and playing sports with her friends. She graduated from East Orange High School and married her high school sweetheart Charles A Coffey, Jr. in 1941. Charles served in the 805 Signal Corp during WWII. In the early 1950s, she worked for the Bendix Corporation making gear instruments for air force jets during the Korean War. In October 1955, the family including their two boys, Chuck and John, moved from NJ to NC for Charles’ job at Westinghouse Corporation in Raleigh. The family eventually settled in the Brookhaven neighborhood. For 26 years, Muriel was an active member at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church. Muriel began her real estate career in 1979 in Raleigh, NC. The family moved to Chapel Hill for Charles’ retirement in 1981 where Muriel continued as a Realtor with A.C. Robbins and Associates. After the sudden death of her husband Charles in 1983, Muriel moved to a smaller home and continued her real estate career. As a devoted member of St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill for forty years, Muriel served in many areas including the Caring and Sharing Program, Inter-Faith Council, Eucharistic Ministry, Friends in Faith, and the Women’s Group. Muriel enjoyed many hobbies including tap dancing, cake decorating, baking, cooking, and decoupage. During college basketball season, she enthusiastically pulled for the UNC Tarheels. She also loved traveling to Europe with family and friends. She was predeceased in death by her husband, Charles Coffey Jr., in 1983; her siblings, William Merris of Dallas, Texas, Corrine (Jean) Digiore of Little Falls, NJ, and John J. Merris II, of Shrewsbury, NJ. Surviving are her four children, Charles (Chuck) Coffey III and his wife Eleanor, John Coffey and his wife Araya, Kathy Coffey Jennings and her husband Spencer, and Susie Coffey Shachtman and her husband Mike. Muriel has seven grandchildren, Daniel Coffey, Ethan Coffey, Catherine Shachtman, Laura Shachtman, Nicole (Coley) Shachtman, Kaitlin Jennings Newell, and Roman Jennings. A funeral mass will be offered at St. Thomas More Catholic Church in Chapel Hill, NC on Friday March 1 at 10:30 am. You are welcome to attend both the funeral mass and the reception at the church. Muriel’s favorite color was light pink so please feel free to wear a little pink to the service. In lieu of flowers, you are invited to donate to one of the following ministries: 1. Food for the Poor: “An interdenominational Christian ministry that serves the extreme poor in 18+ countries, providing food, housing, healthcare, education, fresh water, emergency relief, micro-enterprise solutions and much more. We have provided more than sixteen billion dollars in aid since its beginning in 1982.” Give Online: Please copy and paste the web address below and include the following account name and number in the “Dedicate this donation” field: Account #435817 Muriel Coffey https://foodforthepoor.org/?form=donate-now&s_subsrc=topright To Mail a check: Paid To: Food for the Poor Memo Blank: Account #435817 Muriel Coffey 6401 Lyons Road Coconut Creek, FL 33073 2. St. Thomas More Caring & Sharing Ministry: Please copy and paste the following web address to donate online and include in the “Designation” field: “Caring & Sharing Ministry in honor of Muriel M. Coffey” https://secure.myvanco.com/YGJD/campaign/C-YGNA Or Mail a Check to: Paid To: St. Thomas More Memo Blank: Caring & Sharing Ministry in honor of Muriel Coffey 940 Carmichael Street, Chapel Hill, NC. 27514 For additional information or for service details, please reach out to the family directly.