Michael C Cote

Michael Charles Cote - September 3, 1953 - September 27, 2018 Michael Cote, had residences in both New Brunswick and Willingboro NJ, when he passed away at age 65 on September 27, 2018. Mike was born in Queens, New York, on September 3, 1953, to Renee Cote (Thiébault) and Wilfred Cote. Mike's father Wilfred Cote had served in World War II and continued his career in the military. Mike lived 4 years in Landstuhl Germany, before the family moved to Willingboro, NJ in 1963. Mike was very active in school activities when he attended the John F Kennedy High School in Willingboro (Class of 1971). Mike was a member of the high school debate team. His four years in high school beginning in the late 1960's, coincided with a great deal of change in the world. Mike enjoyed debating the issues of the day, including the Vietnam War and the budding environmentalist movement. According to one of his debate team members, "Mike was an active member of the high school debate team with many successful matches to his credit. He was usually able to out-argue competitors who could not see both sides to a question, and when he wasn't being very serious about an issue such as war, he was glib and funny and very entertaining." His debate partner was Gerri Toland (Regan) and their team members were Richard Yurko, Judy Pierson, Maureen Mc¬Hugh and Naran Burchinow. The team won many competitions, beating some of the most reputable school teams at the time. As a lifelong advocate for environmental causes, Mike and his classmate Tom Skinner attended the very first Earth Day education event at Drexel University, where Mike got the idea to have an ecology event at their high school. Mike was a founding member of the Willingboro Environmental Action League (WEAL) and was instrumental in recruiting leading New Jersey authorities on ecology for an all-day event, which featured symposiums and other activities. WEAL then organized a series of highly successful recycling events for Willingboro, which were known as the Trash Bash, staffed entirely by high school students. Along with other fellow students, Mike organized an ad hoc political party to run for Town Council, for the JF Kennedy Student in Government program. The party platform included many environmental initiatives. Mike was elected township mayor by his fellow students. The students facilitated the next public Willingboro town council meeting, in which they had the opportunity to bring up proposals for change. After the public meeting, the students had several meetings with the Willingboro town council, and worked together on local concerns. Mike was also a member of the high school Student Council, the Organization for Political Awareness, the Key Club, and the French Club. The summer after high school graduation, Mike volunteered with the Philadelphia Folk Song Society. He served on the Volunteer Coordination Committee for the Philly Folk Festival for several years. Mike attended Cook College (the environmental and agricultural school) at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, where he earned a BS in Environmental Science. He then earned a Master's Degree in Public Health. While in college, Mike became active with the NJ Public Interest Group and led a program that surveyed several NJ rivers, via canoes, to catch and stop illegal discharging of toxic chemicals. Mike worked in a variety of fields. He worked as a computer consultant and a printing/publishing consultant. He managed Plowshares Press in Highland Park, a printing company for nonprofits. Mike served as Production Manager of the Long Shot magazine from 1987 until its closing in 2004. Long Shot was an arts and literary magazine founded by Danny Shot and Eliot Katz. The magazine featured writing by authors such as Allen Ginsberg, Charles Bukowski, Amiri Baraka and Sean Penn. The content of the magazine was the responsibility of the editors, but the look of Long Shot was Mike's domain. Mike was the owner and editor in chief for the New Brunswick Reporter, a newspaper that exposed local corruption. Due to Mike's investigative reporting, the FBI took an interest in New Brunswick and several high ranking city officials were prosecuted and imprisoned for their crimes. He was also the owner and manager of The New Brunswick Banner, a newspaper that highlighted local events and community agencies that helped residents. As an adult, Mike continued to be an activist. He participated in many environmental, historical, and political groups. He was the facilitator for a Chinese Democracy Conference in Washington DC. In 1994, when the Base Closure Act ruled that surplus military bases could be used for shelters for homeless people, Michael wrote the proposal to procure land in Edison NJ, that now houses Amandla Crossing. Mike was instrumental in saving from demolition, the building in New Brunswick that housed the Old Bay Restaurant, and is now the Blackthorn Restaurant and Irish Pub. When working for the Plowshares Press, Mike had the opportunity to network and consult for a large number of social justice groups. As he got older, Mike chose to not be in high profile roles. He preferred to be in the roles of campaign manager, speech writer, organizer, consultant, or mentor. A teacher of Reevaluation Co-counseling for many years, Mike continued to use the skills he learned to help others. Mike was the body model for the Luke Skywalker character for the original Star Wars movie poster, holding a prop sword above his head. (Muscles were added by the artists, the Hildebrandt brothers). He posed as Legolas for the Hildebrandt's 1977 Lord of the Rings calendar, in the illustration for The Wedding of the King. Mike appears in many of the Hildebrandt drawings used in Terry Brook's book, The Sword of Shannara. Here is a photo that was used for one of the drawings in the book: https://www.comicartfans.com/GalleryPiece.asp?Piece=1029971 A jack of all trades and a master of many things, Mike was enthusiastic about everything he did. He loved science, history, writing, and reading. He loved music - all kinds - especially the Beatles, blues, folk rock, and Motown. He loved singing and playing guitar with friends. He wrote both the tunes and lyrics to many songs. Mike loved gardening and rescuing plants. He loved cats and dogs. Mike played tennis and was a fan of the Philadelphia sports teams. He loved repairing things. He loved Star Trek and its optimistic view of the future. He traveled to Europe several times and got to visit relatives in France. He traveled through much of the United States. Always willing to lend a helping hand, Mike helped out friends and strangers. Mike was handy at fixing things and he used this talent to help others. He did home repairs for his relatives and friends. He did repairs and took care of snow removal and mowing the lawn for a homebound senior citizen neighbor. "A great friend" is how many would describe Mike. Mike felt truly blessed by having a large social network. He was proud to say that his inner core of friends were all good and ethical people. Mike was a friend, who would drop everything, when a friend was in need. Whether it be to give emotional support and encouragement, brainstorm solutions, or lend a helping hand, Mike was there. Mike maintained his friendships. He kept in contact with a large group of friends that he met in grade school and high school. When it came time for high school reunions, Mike would call up his friends to encourage them to attend. So it was only natural that when it came time for the JF Kennedy Class of 1971 45th reunion, Mike got a hold of Cleteur Counard, who had organized most of the previous reunions, and asked if he could help out. Mike and Cleteur recruited a great bunch of volunteers. Together, the reunion team planned a weekend worth of events, including a tennis tournament, music and poetry performances by former students, and get togethers at the Golden Dawn Diner and the 45th Street Pub. Their reunion was the first reunion to take place at the Kennedy Center, site of the former J F Kennedy High School. The turnout was great, including participation by over a dozen former teachers and coaches. Mike was a wonderful, supportive husband. He met his wife Mari in 1985, when she needed help to edit a speech that she wrote for an Anti-Apartheid rally at Rutgers. They got to share 33 wonderful years together. Mike's mother was from Nancy, France, and his father was from a French Canadian section of Manchester, New Hampshire. Mike's maternal grandfather was cousin to Fernand Léger, the French artist. A fighter to the end, Mike had a year and a half battle with sarcoma. He had excellent medical care, but his cancer was very aggressive. Mike and his wife hoped and prayed for the big miracle - a cure, or even remission. He had many prayer groups praying for him. That big miracle did not happen, but Mike was excited by many other smaller miracles that God showed him, and by many acts of kindness by friends and strangers. Mike is survived by his loving wife Mari Cote (Schneider), and siblings Frank, Lorraine Swain, Jerry, and Bea. Mike and Mari did not have children, so they raised four cats: Eep, and Doci, Spunky, and Minou. The Celebration of Life for Mike Cote will take place Friday October 26 at the Saint Paul United Methodist Church at 201 Levitt Parkway in Willingboro, NJ. The service starts at 11 am and a reception will follow. For donations in Mike's memory, please donate to the Sarcoma Foundation of America. Arrangements are under the direction of the Page Funeral Home, Burlington. #lifecelebrationbypage. To send flowers or a memorial gift to the family of Michael C Cote please visit our Sympathy Store.

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