Don Webster Coats

Don Webster Coats, age 84, of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania, passed away suddenly of natural causes on November 4, 2025, at his home. Born in the small town of Cahokia, Illinois, he was the son of the late Raymond and Alice Henke Coats.

Don earned his undergraduate degree from Southern Illinois University and his veterinary medicine degree from the University of Illinois in 1964. He was married in August 1965 to Martha (Marti) Botsch Coats from Carmi, Illinois.

Don and Marti relocated to Centreville, Delaware, where he served as a small animal veterinarian at the Centreville Veterinary Hospital. For over 50 years, he cared for people and their pets through his intuition, intellect, kindness, and pragmatic approach to healing. Following his retirement, Don re-directed his medical focus to the study of honeybees and their diseases. He quickly became an active advocate for native bee pollinators through community engagement and citizen science. He established a bee species monitoring group and planted native plant pollinator gardens throughout the Brandywine Valley. Protecting the pollinators became his aspiration in life.

Don is survived by his spouse, Marti, of 60 years, and their four children – one son, Reed and his wife, Georgia; three daughters, Kara and her husband, Bill, Erin and her husband, Michael, and Cori and her husband, Luigi; six grandchildren, Owen, Jacob, Cassandra, Anna, Cooper and Gianluca. He is survived by two younger sisters, June and Joyce.

A veterinarian, poet, philosopher, humorist, beekeeper, runner, canoer, biker, hiker, birder, lover of music, husband, father, uncle, brother, and - most precious to him - grandfather. Nothing brought him more joy than giving his grandchildren unique experiences of the natural world in a style that only he was capable of - finding adventure, looking for beauty in the ordinary, and contemplating the mysteries of the world around them.

You are invited to visit with Don's family from 10:00 to 11:00 AM on Saturday, November 22, 2025, at his spiritual home of 50 years, Lower Brandywine Presbyterian Church at 101 Old Kennett Road, Wilmington, DE 19807.  A celebration of life ceremony will follow at 11:00 AM. All are invited to a reception afterwards. 

For those interested in commemorating his life, Don requested donations be made to either the Xerces Society, a national organization that protects native pollinators (xerces.org/give) or the Delaware Nature Society (delnature.org).

Arrangements are by Grieco Funeral Home & Crematory, Inc. of Kennett Square (484-734-8100). To view his online obituary, please visit www.griecofunerals.com