Obituary of Walter Richard Coker

Walter Richard "Rick" Coker, 66, a humble, faithful servant to our Lord Jesus Christ went to heaven surrounded by family just before sunrise on Monday, February 1, 2021.

He was born in Columbia, SC on February 9, 1954, the youngest son to Arnell M. Coker, Sr. and Helen B. Coker and resided in West Columbia, SC since 1988.

He earned a Bachelor of Media Arts from the University of South Carolina in 1983 and, yes, he was an avid loyal "Gamecock" fan! He helped the Explorers with ushering and worked with the Knights of Columbus managing the canteens at footballs games. His passion in life was photography - we will always treasure and be thankful for his quiet manner in capturing "life" as it was going on!

He had a work ethic like no other and was a very loyal, dedicated individual that always gave his best efforts in every aspect of his employment whether it was in a photo lab, managing warehouses or working as a paralegal for Tobias Ward, Jr.

“Rick was well known in the community as a referee, a coach, a sous chef for the homeless, anything to better himself, his community or at the very least the person standing next to him. He will always be remembered as a great father, grandfather, husband and friend but most importantly as a genuine and caring soul that brought light and optimism to every opportunity he was afforded. He made the most of his short time on this plane and made every person or situation he touched in his life better than when he left it. He will be sorely missed, but even stronger will be those wanting to be more like Rick. Proud yet humble, strong yet caring and scared yet ready to do it anyway.”

Even though he has left this earth; his presence will be forever with his daughters; Heather Bond, Victoria Coker (Christian) and his most beloved grandson, Hunter Richard Anderson; their mother, Rosemarie Fernald; brother, Arnell Coker, Jr. of Little Mountain, SC, sister, Gina Coker Harbort (Hugh) of Ellaville, GA, as well as numerous cousins, nieces and nephews plus many life-long friends. He was preceded in death by his parents.

His funeral will be held at the Basilica of St. Peter, Catholic Church on Saturday March 13th, 2021 at 11:00am.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation to the food bank at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church. This is a charity through St. Vincent de Paul, an organization that meant a lot to Rick. Every month he and Steve Mullaney prepared meals for the homeless to serve at the St. Peter’s kitchen. Please consider volunteering to help with these meals, every fourth Saturday of each month. https://www.stjosephcolumbia.org/st-vincent-de-paul https://ssvpusa.org/

Family and friends may sign the online guest book at www.southcarolinacremation.com

Pope Francis' Encyclical Letter Given in Rome at Saint Peter’s on May 24, 2015:

“229. We must regain the conviction that we need one another, that we have a shared responsibility for others and the world, and that being good and decent are worth it. We have had enough of immorality and the mockery of ethics, goodness, faith and honesty. It is time to acknowledge that light-hearted superficiality has done us no good. When the foundations of social life are corroded, what ensues are battles over conflicting interests, new forms of violence and brutality, and obstacles to the growth of a genuine culture of care for the environment.

230. Saint Therese of Lisieux invites us to practice the little way of love, not to miss out on a kind word, a smile or any small gesture which sows peace and friendship. An integral ecology is also made up of simple daily gestures which break with the logic of violence, exploitation and selfishness. In the end, a world of exacerbated consumption is at the same time a world which mistreats life in all its forms.”