His family was kind enough to supply this obituary.
Michael is survived by his wife of 43 years, Penny, his children Elizabeth, Shelby and Peter, his grandchildren Michael, Jamie Lee, Savannah, Kathryn and Amelia and his great-grandchildren Tayden, London and Evie.
Michael grew up on a dairy farm at Meeniyan near Leongatha. After metriculating high school he moved to Melbourne and worked at the Commonwealth Bank.
He would eventually, with Penny, move to Katamatite in 1993.
Michael and Penny ran their own business installing home insulation and Michael immediately immersed himself in the Katamatite community through the local sporting and volunteer groups.
Everyone in Katamatite knew Coatesy, as he was involved in almost everything that was Katamatite.
Michael was involved in a number of organisations in Katamatite and wore a number of hats. They included the Katamatite Football Club and the catering committee, the Katamatite Lions Club, Katamatite Indoor Bowls, Katamatite Cricket Club, the Katamatite Public Hall, the Katamatite Recreation Reserve, the cemetery trust and the community hub.
Michael’s community service to Katamatite was outstanding to say the least. Along with his community work he also mowed the recreation reserve oval during football and cricket seasons and on behalf of the Lions Club regularly mowed the cemetery grass.
At the community hub he would often be the first there in the morning to let someone in and the last one at night vacuuming the floor and cleaning up after any community or sporting event.
In 2020 Michael was acknowledged for the sheer volume of his community efforts with the Moira Shire Citizen of the Year award.
For those who knew Michael Coates, he was colourful in character, sometimes controversial in comment, had a wonderful sense of humour and loved his Katamatite community.
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