One of the most beautiful women to ever walk this earth has been called home by God.
Barbi Coyne, 55, born Barbara Ann Marcille, went to join God on Monday, November 5, 2018. Barbi passed at her home in Yulee, Fla., surrounded by her family, friends and a tremendous amount of love. She fought with all of her being to conquer colon cancer first diagnosed July 25 of this year, but God needed her help in heaven.
Barbi was born May 19, 1963 in Norwalk, Conn. to Phil and Kathy Marcille. She spent her childhood growing up on Old Zoar Road in Monroe, Conn. She spent three years living and working in Easley, S.C. and moved to Boothbay Harbor, Maine in 1990 after becoming divorced. She met her current husband and soul mate, Brian Coyne, in 1996 in Boothbay Harbor, and they married in 1997 in Boothbay.
Her father, Phil, predeceased her four years ago, and she is survived by her mother, Kathy Marcille; her most precious stepmother, Nancy Marcille; brothers, Billy Marcille and Brian Worthing; her sisters, Tara Wichenbach and Chris Parsons; her two children, Scott Dykhuis and Jennifer Ward; her two grandchildren, Roslynn and Reagan Dykhuis; and seven step-grandchildren.
First and foremost, Barbi was a mother and grandmother. A mother who would build little fairy houses in the yard and sprinkle fairy dust and write notes from the fairies in gold pens for her little girl. Anything her children tried she would support with all of her heart. She nurtured them and encouraged them at every turn of their lives and their success is a testament to her efforts. And her grandchildren were her greatest love beyond words. She and her husband, Brian, moved to Florida because one of her dreams was to be a part of their lives and her nurturing through these last 10 years has been one of her greatest accomplishments. Her love for them will last through eternity.
The world has lost a true force of nature and will be a much sadder place for it. A book could be written about her and how she touched so many lives and made everyone around her happy to be near her. She was a crusader for abused women. From her involvement in the domestic abuse shelter in Lincoln County, Maine, where she launched her crusade and ended up giving lectures on the subject to the Maine State Police and making appearances on several Maine radio stations, she carried her crusade to Texas when she and Brian moved there and ended up being the president of the Matagorda and Wharton counties women’s shelters. She turned a rundown program into one of the best programs in the state of Texas and continued giving lectures to the Texas Rangers and sheriff departments in several counties. She brought her crusade to Florida and just recently stepped down as the chair of the board of Micah’s Place, the women’s shelter here in Nassau County.
She was a powerful businesswoman. She helped Hodgdon Yachts in East Boothbay become the success they are today. She worked with them when there were only 35 employees and built their Human Resources Department into a modern company facet as their numbers grew beyond 100 employees. She represented the Boothbay region on the Maine Marine Trades Association and was a guest lecturer at the Maine Marine Academy. When she moved to Texas, she started her dream of being a self-employed QuickBooks Pro advisor. Along the way, she worked with the Matagorda County Small Business Development Corporation and helped develop many small companies throughout the south Texas area. She carried many QuickBooks customers with her when she moved to Florida and continued to help her Texas clients through remote computer access.
In Nassau County, Fla., she grew into a larger-than-life dynamo. Her magnetic personality, her drive, her friendship and her genuine caring for people made her a force that could not be ignored. She had customers all over northeast Florida and up into southern Georgia. Her business territory stretched almost 100 miles from north to south. One of her passions was teaching QuickBooks to other people. She was an adjunct professor at Florida State College at Jacksonville, where she taught classes on QuickBooks. She also taught classes for both the Nassau and Clay counties’ Small Business Development Center and the Jacksonville city government. Her dedication, ethics and caring ways turned many of her clients from business customers to close friends.
But her true devotion was for the organization of Rotary. She was a very active member of the Rotary Club Amelia Island Sunrise, had been the club treasurer for the last six years and loved doing it.
Besides her pride in being a Paul Harris Fellow, her greatest honor was being named the very first recipient of the Amelia Island Sunrise Rotarian of the Year award, of which she was not just proud but humbled and ever so appreciative. The whole concept of the Rotary motto of “Service Above Self” fit into her beliefs and lifestyle, and she was a part of every fundraiser and volunteer activity. She made many people true believers in the Rotary mission and was recognized as a friend and promoter by many other Rotary clubs throughout District 6970, which stretches from the Georgia state line to Daytona. She always strived to be the best at whatever she did and was very proud to be a graduate of Rotary Leadership Institute graduate classes.
And lastly, she was a wife, her husband’s truest friend, companion, teacher and so much more that words cannot describe. Her husband and all of her family feel truly blessed and honored to have been part of her life journey and to have shared so many years of love, laughter, tears, triumphs and life experiences with her. She will be eternally loved and greatly missed by all of who have known her.
If you wish to honor her memory, donations can be made to Micah’s Place, P.O. Box 16287, Fernandina Beach, FL 32035.
Please share your memories and condolences at www.oxleyheard.com.
Oxley-Heard Funeral Directors