Paula Kaylene Coffey

Paula Kaylene Coffey, passed away, Wednesday, October 28, 2026.

Beloved daughter of the late Charles "Jack" and Linda Beth (nee Crites) Coffey. Loving sister of Kevin (Kimberly Kelly) Coffey of Franklin TN. Loving niece of Gary and Marilyn Van Amber of Bristol CT, Loving niece of Kay McKee of Wichita KS, Dear aunt of Ivan and Lauren, Great Aunt of Chloe and Max. Dearest cousin and friend of many.

Kaylene was born in Wichita, Kansas, August 16, 1959 to Jack and Linda Coffey. Jack was a traveling salesman and later a grocery store owner and Linda a school teacher who influenced Kaylene's concentration and high performance on all things educational. Kaylene was always a top student in nearly every subject. After a couple of moves, the family settled in the St Louis MO area in 1974 and her parents remained there for the rest of their lives. Kaylene graduated from Parkway West High School in 1977 and was near the top of her class. She participated in Concert Choir, Foreign Language Club, was an exchange student in France during the summer of 1976, and was of course a member of the National Honor Society.

Kaylene continued her studies at David Lipscomb University in Nashville TN and graduated near the top of her class in 1980 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Dietetics. She missed a 4.0 grade point average because of narrowly missing an "A" in a bowling class- this bothered her for great while because she always put top effort into whatever class or activity she attempted. She completed her Dietetics Internship at Saint Louis University in 1980 and 1981 and completed her Master of Arts in Educational Processes at Maryville University in St Louis in 1988.

Professionally, Kaylene worked for St Louis University from 1981 through 1995 as an adjunct faculty member, Sisters of Saint Mary Health Center from 1981 through 1995, traveled to Ann Arbor, Michigan and Des Moines, Iowa as Regional Support in 1995, the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston Texas from 1995 through 1999, and finally for Sodexo from 1999 until her passing. At each place she met many friends for life and endeared herself to hundreds of colleagues and employees.

She was a lifelong member of the Church of Christ, attending services wherever she lived- again accumulating many friends and admirers of her kindness, genuineness, intelligence and infectious positivity. She loved sports, especially the Cardinals, Blues, Lipscomb Bisons, and her brother's alma mater, the Kansas Jayhawks. She loved True Crime documentaries, the occasional Soap Opera, and a Reality Series or two- especially ones with music. She loved family and moved back to St Louis, sacrificing a great deal of time catering to both of her parents as they dealt with illnesses before their passing.

She was dedicated, giving, tough, accessible, truthful, a stickler for detail, critical without being condescending, jovial, a confidant and friend for many, a perfectionist, forgiving, but mostly just a good person.

Services: Memorial gathering at the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, 14960 Manchester Road at Holloway, Ballwin, Saturday, November 14, 2026 from 12:30 p.m. until 4:30 p.m. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to Camp Ne-O-Tez. Friends may sign the family’s on-line guest book at Schrader.com.