Earl P. Cote

OXFORD – Earl Philip Cote was born on April 12, 1938, and passed away peacefully at home on August 12, 2023. Theresa (Sokolowski), his loving wife of 63 years and partner in this life and the next, was by his side.

Solid and steady: Earl was a man who knew the value of hard work and showed us that it is through our actions that we speak the loudest. This virtue served him well as the youngest of Frederick and Evelyn’s (Rivers) eleven children. It also guided him through graduation from the Machine Shop at Worcester Boys Trade. He then served for two years of active duty in the United States Navy. His career at The Norton Company in Worcester, where he worked for 35 years, further demonstrated his dedication to a job well done.

During his life, Earl was a man who showed up for not only the big events, but for the small ones, which were just as important to him. The most blessed events centered upon his family: marrying Theresa; starting and growing their family with the additions of their two daughters, Donna (Cote) McElroy and Kathy (Cote) Martinson,  and their son William; welcoming his son-in-laws, William and David, and his daughter-in-law, Penny; holding his grandchildren, Kenneth McElroy, Nicole (Martinson) Williams, Kristen Martinson, Dimarco Cote, Sienna Cote, and Gavanni Cote for the first time; watching the next generation grow and learn through his great-granddaughters, Evie and Aniela McElroy, and Sophie Williams and her soon to arrive brother or sister.

It was Earl’s devotion to his family that led him to take an early retirement. He was able to live his life to its fullest, with his wife, through some of the activities that they delighted in: camping, boating, snowmobiling, golfing, and traveling. He had the time to tinker and build things, both big and small, while teaching those he loved how to be handy as well. He combined his skill as a “jack of all trades”  with his Christian faith in the role of a handyman and a Eucharistic minister at St. Roch’s parish in Oxford.

Earl was a man you would seek out when entering a room because he would put you at ease with his kindness and quiet smile. He was the calm center that everyone would find comfort in. His actions did indeed speak the loudest and their echo will not fade.

Earl Cote: a job well done, a life well lived, a man most missed.

A funeral will be held on Thursday, August 17, 2023, from Paradis-Givner Funeral Home, 357 Main St., Oxford, followed by a Mass at 11 a.m. at St. Roch’s Church, 332 Main St., Oxford.  Burial will follow at Notre Dame Cemetery in Worcester.  Calling hours are Wednesday, August 16, 2023, from 5-8 p.m. at the funeral home.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the VNA Care Hospice, 67 Millbrook St., 500 North, Worcester, MA 01606.