Marie Ann Bachman Coates died on September 28, 2026, at the age of 93 at Thompson House in Brattleboro, Vermont, with hospice chaplain Diane Morris by her side. Marie was born in Roanoke, Illinois, on December 30, 1932, the only daughter of Peter Solomon and Lena Wehrli Bachman. She had four brothers: Don, Roy, Harold, and Carl.

Marie completed her nursing training at Brokaw Hospital in Normal, Illinois, where she met Milton Smith Stone. They moved to Denver, where they attended the University of Denver, and married on December 12, 1957, in Loda, Illinois. Together they had two children, Butch and Squeak.

In February 1965, Stoney died while on active duty. Marie was left to raise her children and support her family, stepping into the role of breadwinner and facing a future she had not planned.

Marie later met Donald Preston Coates through church. Don had two daughters, Debbie and Judy, and the possibility of another family began to take shape. They married on June 29, 1969, and Don and Marie started their very own Brady Bunch. For their first wedding anniversary, Marie gave Don a baby girl, Beth. After 37 years of marriage. Don died suddenly on March 27, 2007,

Marie was a force of nature: fiery, passionate, outspoken, and fiercely independent. She loved deeply, disliked passionately, and spoke her mind—sometimes before it had quite caught up with her. She believed a woman had every right to make her own decisions and live by her own rules. She had little interest in being the perfect wife or keeping a perfect house, and no intention of making herself smaller to make someone else more comfortable.

Her surviving children are Deborah Silva and husband Jim McCalsky; Squeak Stone and husband Steven Stone; Judy Coates Perez and husband Phil Stone; and Elizabeth Welch and husband Richard Welch. Her son, Martin “Butch” Stone, predeceased her.

Her grandchildren are Alex Silva, Colin McCrillis, Indigo Perez, Ty Perez, Haeleigh Stone, Aiden Stone, and Mycroft Stone. She is also survived by many beloved nieces, nephews, and great-grandchildren.

Marie loved flowers but made one thing perfectly clear: Anyone who waited until her funeral to send her flowers, having neglected to give her any while she was alive, could expect her to come back and haunt them for the rest of their lives. In In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Alzheimer’s Association or the American Heart Association. You certainly wouldn’t want to spend the rest of your life wondering whether Marie was keeping her promise.

Funeral Services will be held at JS Pelkey & Son Funeral Home, 125 Old Post Road, Kittery, Maine on October 24, 2026, with greetings beginning at noon and a funeral service starting promptly at 1p.