William Eccles Coit, M.D.
M.D., William Eccles Coit, 60
April 28, 1954 - Feb. 25, 2015
William Eccles Coit, M.D., passed away Feb. 25, 2015, surrounded by family at his home in Portland, at the age of 60. Known as “Billy” to those close to him, he spent most of his childhood in Ogden, Utah, before moving to Portland where he roamed Dunthorpe on his mini bike with middle school classmates, many of whom would remain lifelong friends.
Along the way, he cultivated a love of learning by building and launching model rockets and teaching himself chemistry in order to create and detonate explosives. He developed a love of the outdoors while hiking the Northwest with Boy Scout Troop 110 and skiing in Sun Valley and at Mt. Bachelor.
He graduated with the Riverdale Grade School 8th grade Class of 1968. Although he later went on to graduate from Lake Oswego High School, Colorado College, Oregon Health Sciences University Medical School, complete a radiology residency at OHSU and a neuroradiology fellowship at the University of Utah, his Riverdale grade school diploma was the only one he ever displayed.
He met his wife of nearly 30 years, Holly, when they both worked at OHSU. Their shared love of medicine and physiology provided vibrant family dinner conversation. Billy spent 28 years as a neuroradiologist at Good Samaritan Hospital, during which time he distinguished himself as both a stellar physician and a friend to all staff he encountered daily.
Although he never would have described himself as such, he was an artist. He had a passion for woodworking and created complex and beautiful furniture for his home. He spent years upon years landscaping his yard in a quest to replicate the traditional gardens of English manor homes he loved so much. He discovered photography in his 50s and traveled the world honing his skill, photographing everything from the temples of Angkor Wat to wildlife in Tryon Creek State Park.
His eye for beauty did not translate to his fashion sense, however, as he was well known for his love of Hawaiian shirts, the more obnoxious the better. Billy had a wonderful sense of humor and time spent with him was filled with laughter over shared memories.
He spent years developing recipes for the perfect margarita and the perfect Man-hattan. He believed whole-heartedly in the importance of philanthropy and was an avid supporter of many nonprofits in Oregon and around the world. He was a doctor, photographer, skier, gardener, dog lover, lifelong learner, runner, car enthusiast, woodworker and world traveler.
But first and fore-most he was a husband, father, grandfather, son, brother, uncle and a friend. He will be missed deeply.
His father, William Hersee Coit, preceded Billy in death. He is survived by his loving wife, Holly; children, Valerie Luckenbill (Jamie), Emily and David; grandson, Owen Luckenbill; mother, Barbara Coit Yeager; sisters, Susie Coit and Ann Goss (Jim); nephew, Stuart Goss; niece, Megan Goss; and canine friends, Guinness and Hudson. A gathering to celebrate Billy’s life will be held at 4:30 p.m. Saturday, March 7, 2015, at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Nature Conservancy of Oregon or OMSI.
