OBITUARY Ralph Coatsworth
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This is a digitised version of an article from The Cayman Compass's print archive. Occasionally, the digitisation process introduces transcription errors, or other problems.
See the article in its original context from May 2004.
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He was one of five children, of whom only his younger brother, Raymond, survives him.
Upon completion of his education, which took place mainly in France, Ralph worked in many parts of the world including England, Africa, Canada and Barbados.
He served in the Royal Navy during World War II. Ralph came to Grand Cayman from Canada on 6 March, 1958 and bought the whole tip of Rum Point.
There he built a small hotel with 10 double rooms, a bar and restaurant. The development was accessible only by water at that time.
He sold the hotel in 1966 and subsequently opened one of Cayman's first real estate offices from which he retired in 1985. In those 22 years, he became one of the most respected realtors on the Island and was in great demand for conducting property appraisals. Ralph was a member of the NCVO board for 25 years and was a founding member of the Chamber of Commerce to which he remained loyal throughout his life. He was a devout Catholic and an active member of St. Ignatius Catholic Church. Ralph was an unsung hero who gave freely of his time and money for the benefit of others without ever seeking any public recognition of his many good deeds.
In addition to a legion of friends in Cayman, especially the McCoy family and Pamela Jeffery, he is survived by his brother Raymond who lives in Malta. Ralph's grandnephew, Bruce, represented the Coatsworth family at Saturday's funeral.
May he rest in peace.
