After a valiant fight, Robert Frank “Clip” Coates, Jr., lost his battle with cancer on Tuesday, surrounded by his family.
A native of Huntsville, Clip graduated from Randolph School and attended Birmingham Southern College.
The Coates Family has operated the Avis Rent a Car franchise in Huntsville since 1959. At a very early age, Clip became President and expanded the business to include Budget Rent a Car and Budget Truck Rental. His entrepreneurial heritage came to light in 2000 when he founded Spirit Coach and invested in their first motorcoach. Clip successfully grew the business to new heights which now operates 10 rental locations across North Alabama and 14 luxury motorcoaches which travel the US and Canada more than 800,000 miles per year.
Always a man of action and involvement, Clip was heavily committed to numerous community events and organizations including Huntsville Rotary Club and Foundation, Crime Stoppers, Rise, Phoenix, Boys and Girls Club, Heritage Motorcoach Resort & Marina, Alabama Motorcoach Association, and Avis Licensee Association. His passion to mentor deserving young adults was fulfilled with the Huntsville Rotary Club STRIVE program.
In his spare time, he loved to take Sunday rides to find new construction sites, chase trains, and “play in the dirt” with heavy equipment on his property. Clip also loved to travel, especially with his wife, Debbie, in their beloved motorhome.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Robert and Lois Coates and his nephew James Anderson. Clip is survived by his wife, Debbie, their three daughters, Nicki Marlowe (Andrew); Brooke Alderman (Fielding) and Kasie Bishop (Ryan); grandchildren Brandt and Channing Marlowe; sister Jo Lynn Anderson; nephews Jason and Justin Anderson; great nephew Ashtin; numerous cousins and many other beloved family and friends to include Samantha Russell, Beth Martin & McKenzie, Mel Madden, Addie & Sebastian, and Matthew Madden.
A celebration of Clip’s life will be held at 11:00 a.m. at First Baptist Church Huntsville, 600 Governors Drive on Saturday, January 20, 2018. A gathering of friends and family will follow in the First Baptist Church Gathering Space.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the Huntsville Rotary Foundation designated for its STRIVE program, P. O. Box 814, Huntsville, AL 35804.
CELEBRATION OF LIFE
Saturday January 20, 2018, 11:00 AM at First Baptist Church
