Carol Jo Coe, née Hesse, died October 15, 2025, at the age of 78 due to pancreatic cancer.
Carol was born in Chicago, Illinois, on September 7, 1947. She grew up in Seattle, graduating from Tyee High School as part of its inaugural class in 1965. Growing up and throughout school, Carol was active in dance, debate, tennis, swimming and lifeguarding, and cheerleading, with dance and debate becoming enduring passions. During Carol’s junior year of high school, she met her eventual husband, Mike Coe.
At the University of Washington, Carol continued with debate, becoming one of the first women to compete in the Senior Men’s Division. She also participated in the school’s synchronized swimming program at a time when letters were not available to women (decades later, UW awarded Carol a letter). She graduated magna cum laude in 1969 with a degree in Speech.
Carol married Mike shortly after graduation, and moved to Tacoma, Washington. She then undertook a long career as a high school teacher, working at Thomas Jefferson, Rogers, Puyallup, Emerald Ridge, Northwest Yeshiva, and Cleveland. Known as a passionate and innovative educator, Carol began numerous highly regarded programs, including ENCORE (which taught students a process for creating and carrying out community projects), Students and Teachers Against Racism, and the Visions school-within-a-school program designed to reach non-traditional learners.
Carol’s groundbreaking teaching focused heavily on enhancing student discussion and participation, real-world applications, and meaningful community connections. In her words, she viewed “education as democracy.” Among the many accolades Carol received were, in 1994, recognition as the Washington State Teacher of the Year and, in 1995, the National Educator Award from the Milken Family Foundation.
In 1978 daughter Taryn was born, followed by son Kevin in 1980. The family particularly enjoyed travel, beginning with a year living in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Other travels included a summer in the French countryside; an extended trip to Indonesia; a road trip to Alaska; a months-long RV trip around the U.S. featuring the nation’s best roller coasters; and annual visits to Long Beach, Washington.
Carol had boundless energy, especially when it came to teaching and learning. In 1985, she earned a Master’s degree in Sociology and Psychology from Pacific Lutheran University, and in 2012—completing what she saw as a fun retirement project—she earned a PhD in Education from UW. Soon thereafter, Carol came out of retirement to work as the Director of Social Studies for the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. There, she overhauled and revitalized social studies curriculum and civic education initiatives, testifying before the legislature on multiple occasions and successfully increasing state funding for these vital programs. Carol’s career in education ultimately spanned nearly 50 years, influencing thousands of students, teachers, leaders, and citizens.
Carol loved dance, baseball, movies, musicals, word puzzles, good food, travel, and meaningful conversations—especially civil arguments about current affairs. Not one who relished most domestic tasks, Carol was nonetheless an excellent seamstress; she could often be found sewing something to dress up her home or to help out family and friends.
A devoted, empathetic, generous, and fun-loving mother and grandmother, Carol was quick to help with school projects, participate in games (always with a healthy competitiveness), and orchestrate wonderfully imaginative events. She was by nature a goal-setter and a thrill-seeker, and at various points in her life Carol ran a marathon, got certified in scuba diving, went bungee jumping and skydiving, visited every Major League Baseball park in the country, and nearly summited Mt. Rainier. Carol’s license plate read “Je Danse,” and that is the mantra with which she approached every aspect of her life.
Carol and Mike were together for 61 years, married for 56. The two of them traveled the world and especially loved visiting dear friends in England or spending months at a time exploring Paris. They often entertained guests in their West Seattle home (Mike doing the cooking and Carol setting an elegant table), and they reveled in the precious time spent with their grandchildren—who knew them as Grand-Mère and Grand-Père. Mike was Carol’s caregiver as her health deteriorated later in life; they were never more in love.
Carol was preceded in death by her mother and father, Mildred and Charles Hesse, and brother Bill. She is survived by her husband Mike, her sister Ann (Fabio) Fantozzi, daughter Taryn (Ty Edwards) Coe, son Kevin (Julia Anderson) Coe, and grandchildren Charles, Kyra, Curtis, and Laynie. In lieu of flowers, remembrances may be made to https://lwvwa.org/Carol-Coe/ or to a favorite charity.
I loved reading about Carol’s life. Several things I already knew, as Carol was a mentor and friend. Other details were a delightful surprise to learn about this amazing woman. She is already so missed. But her generous, dynamic, and fascinating spirit will live on through the many lives she so positively influenced. Love you, Carol.
Carol was truly a loving, smart, talented woman! I feel so lucky to be friends with her daughter—Carol’s joy and passion live on in her children.
iI remember Carol from our years at the Highline Methodist Church in the 1950’s. Our mothers became very good friends. I was the same age as Carol’s brother Bill and my sister Leslie was one year younger than Carol. I remember many shared birthday parties and family dinners with Carol’s family. Their family had a “stage” built in the basement, and many a “productions” were enjoyed by our family with Carol able to “bring vitality” to any character she was assigned. Blessings to Mike, Taryn, Kevin, their families, and her sister Ann’s family.
Our families were good friends and I was lucky enough to have a little coaching from Carol as an older and wiser girl navigating the whitewaters of growing up in the 60’s. Thank you, Carol!