Arthur Coatsworth

“Words are few, thoughts are deep. Memories of you we will always keep.”

Arthur passed away in Leighton Hospital on the 17th March 2021, aged 69 years.

The beloved Husband of Josie and Cherished Dad & Grandpa who will be loved & remembered with much affection.

A Thanksgiving Service for the life of Arthur will take place at

Crewe Crematorium Chapel on Friday 9th April 2021

For any further information please contact our funeral home on 01270 584447

A thanksgiving for the life of Arthur Coatsworth, a beloved husband of Josie who
feels incredibly blessed to have had her best friend in her life since they were around
five-year-old, living just two doors away from each other, they were soulmates and
their childhood friendship developed into true love. they started going out together at
sixteen, were engaged at seventeen, and were married when they were twenty-one
on 10th June 1972 at Biker Parish Church and enjoyed almost forty-nine years of true
happiness.
Arthur was a devoted dad to Amy and Ben, he was much loved by Josie’s family
especially his late mother-in-law Lily who he loved to bits, he was more like a brother
to Edmond and Shirley, George and Wenna, Jackie and Fran, a best friend to Amy’s
late husband Simon and much-loved father in law to Ceri, a doting grandpa to
Bethany and Rhys, a dear uncle and a legend of a man to Amy and Ben’s friends.
Arthur was caring and kind, extremely hard working and dedicated to everything he
put his mind to. He had everything he ever wanted or needed under the one roof
with Josie. He wasn’t terribly patient; home was where his heart was, and he always
preferred people to visit he and Josie in the comfort of their home unless you booked
him well in advance then he would consider coming to you.
Arthur was a cheeky chappy, who loved his grandchildren, he was always wonderful
with children and an incorrigible torment. Over the years there were many occasions
when his own children or their cousins invariably got in trouble for being too
boisterous, but Arthur was the real culprit, constantly winding them all up!
The youngest of four, Arthur was born and brought up in Newcastle upon Tyne by
his parents Florence May and Harry Coatsworth. As neighbours, he and Josie grew
up together and used to play out on the streets with many of their pals. They were
always in and out of each other’s houses, whether it be breakfast, dinner or tea, they
were inseparable. Their friends once dared Josie to jump in the deep end of the
pool, she did, regardless of the fact she couldn’t swim but Arthur immediately jumped
in to save her.
They both left school at the age of fourteen and a half. Arthur set his sights on a
career in accountancy and whilst working full time, he attended night school to
achieve the necessary qualifications. Josie was full of pride as she told me he was
so determined to succeed; he committed to years of study and achieved his dream
of being a fully-fledged accountant at the age of twenty-eight.
He and Josie always travelled to work on the same bus and one day, Arthur asked
her out on a proper date, she was thrilled to accept but took her friend with her to
play gooseberry!
On their wedding day, Arthur left for the church from his family home, then Josie
followed a short while after from next door but one! They started married life in a flat
in Wallsend but then moved to a little house in Oxford where they both worked for
Angus Fire Armour. After six or seven months, Josie was terribly homesick and
longed to be back at home especially as her twin sister Jackie was expecting her first
baby. Without hesitation Arthur agreed and they were both transferred back up
Newcastle working at Dunlop. They moved to Cramlington where they welcomed
Amy into the world in 1981.

Having had her own child, Josie found it easier to settle when Arthur got a position in
Essex. But then when her dad George sadly died, her mum Lily and youngest sister
Fran moved in with them and Fran became more like a big sister to Amy.
Ben arrived in 1985 and eventually they came to Crewe when Arthur worked for
Foden Trucks. They lived in Priory Close then bought a farm around 2000. Amy
had started a career in horseracing and was living in Berkshire, but Arthur asked her
to consider moving back to work on the farm.
I gather whilst Arthur was still out and about working, Josie never took to the
remoteness of the farm and was delighted when Arthur agreed to sell up around
2007 to move back to civilization within walking distance of the shops and Josie’s
job.
Arthur worked so hard to provide for the family. He and Josie were able to travel
extensively, enjoying fabulous holidays in places like France, Greece, Malta, Turkey
and Spain for the world cup. They also went to Marrakesh, but the flight was so
awful, it put Josie off ever taking to the skies again, but Arthur did go to a beautiful
resort in Gran Canaria with Amy and Simon and loved it.
Arthur entered into semi-retirement just a couple of years ago, but he always kept his
hand in. He was happy and comfortable living at Stoneley Avenue with his
soulmate, he loved football and cricket and preferred to sit and watch the TV in the
kitchen overlooking his glorious garden.
He was a smoker but always sat in the garden and was often joined outside by his
two best friends, Simon and Ben whilst the girls stayed indoors.
The family told the celebrant:
He doted on Josie, no matter what else was happening, her happiness was all that
mattered. His daughter in law Ceri always made him laugh, his favourite tipple was
brandy and he always used to say “I’m going to have one more and go to bed.” He
had one big dislike and that was Sunderland A.F.C they were enemy number one!
An avid fan of Newcastle United, his other aspiration in life was to become a
professional footballer and he did put the effort in during his teens, playing every
weekend and lots of five a side but Josie would never have wanted to be a WAG so
accountancy it was.
When Ben was younger, Arthur managed the under 16’s team at Haslington Hawks
and it seems Ben thought as his dad was the manager, it would be an easy ride – he
couldn’t have been more wrong.
He and Ben enjoyed many trips back to Newcastle to watch the Magpies at St
James Park, they had plans after lockdown to take Rhys with them, sadly it wasn’t to
be.
Lockdown really took its toll on Arthur, having been a busy man all his life, Covid
restrictions robbed him of his freedom and sadly Covid also cruelly took his much-
loved son in law Simon at such a young age in February. Arthur was heartbroken,
he and Simon were much loved and will be sadly missed.