Obituary of Marian Riddle Coe
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Marian Coe, of Banner Elk, North Carolina, passed peacefully Monday afternoon August 6, 2007 at the Charles A. Cannon, Jr. Memorial Hospital, in Linville, NC after a five year battle with ovarian cancer. Marian was a social reporter and feature writher for the St. Petersburg Times and earlier the Evening Independent. She and her husband of 23 years, Paul Zipperlin, an artist who illustrated her books, lived in Banner Elk, N. C.; but spent the winters in Dunedin, Florida. Born in Birmingham, Alabama, she was a reporter for the Alabama Journal in Montgomery before moving to St. Petersburg in 1958 After her retirement from the Times in 1983, she began a second career as a novelist, writing nine books. Except for her first novel, Legacy, a mystery set in 1945 in Pinellas Beach and her last book, Rachel's Story, set in Boston, all took place in her beloved Blue Ridge Mountains. her books won several awards from southern organizations including a first place from the State of Florida Writers Association. She was active in writers groups in both Florida and North Carolina. Until her health deteriorated in recent months, she spent most days writing at her computer, leaving a tenth book unfinished. besides her husband, Paul Zipperlin, she is survived by her daughter, Carol Coe, a PH.D. candidate at Cambridge University in England. Her son David McLean Coe is a custom designer of doords and hardware in Santa Fe, New Mexico. She has two grandchildren and three great grandchildren. A Celebration of Life Service for Marian Coe (Zipperlin) will be held Sunday, August 12, 2007 at 4:00 PM at the Corner Palate, 115 Shawneehawa Avenue, Banner Elk, NC. In lieu of flowers memorials may be made to the Watauga County Library, 140 Queen Street, Boone, NC 28607.