Roland “Frank” Cote, 77, of Hudson, Florida passed away on February 20th, 2022 in his sleep. He was healthy and happy until his final day. He is survived by his wife Carol Ann Cote; daughter Angela Lynn Rosario; Charles Cote and his wife Igna, William Cote, Daniel Cote and his wife Madelyn; and four grandchildren. 

To know Frank was to love him. He was married to his wife, Carol, for 54 wonderful years. He met Carol as a teenager. With her, Frank raised a large family of four kids. He was enthusiastic about raising a large family because he was raised as an only child. An exceptionally skilled tool maker, he was one of the finest plastics injection designers and mold makers around. In his early days, he worked for the Naval Ordnance Lab in Maryland. He and Carol relocated to Tolland, Connecticut where he founded Cote Plastics and Machining Company which is still operating today. Frank had the most wonderful optimistic disposition. He was never too worried about the future or ever focused on past regrets. In fact, he seemed to live entirely in the present. Which was probably why he loved sports so much. He coached his son’s baseball team while the family lived in Connecticut. The team won the league championship the year he coached even though they were underdogs. Frank made sure the less talented kids got their playing time along with his star players. And sure enough, with his encouragement they won the championship.

Everyone remembers Frank as a real gentleman; which is fitting because he was passionate about the gentleman’s game of golf. During the summers he and Carol lived in Linville Land Harbor, North Carolina. He would usually play golf five times each week while there. He loved the sport, but he also loved spending time with the people he met on the course. When he first started getting back into the game when he retired around the age of 60, he didn’t have many people to play with even though he was naturally a gregarious person. In fact, Carol had to goad him as a single to get out there on the course because he didn’t know any of the other players in North Carolina. That didn’t last long. He was such a personable, warm guy that before he knew it, he was friends with a large group of golfers in both Florida and North Carolina. In fact, he ended up helping coordinate large golf groups in Linville Land Harbor. He played golf on the Monday and Thursday the week before he passed. He was very happy till time ran out for him. 

Frank was an amazingly patient person. When his three sons decided they would form a rock’n’roll band and try to make it in the music industry, he allowed them to play in the garage, filling the house with boisterous music. He proudly attended many shows of The Reverse Engineers, his son’s band, with his wife Carol.  

Frank was disciplined and moderate in everything he did (except golf and watching sports). He would eat only a modest amount every day. In fact, his kids would marvel at the way he would savor a treat such as an M&M. He would slowly enjoy them and get the most out of each one. Having been a National Guardsman in the Vietnam era, he was very regimented. He was a machine gun instructor and was a sharpshooter although thankfully he never had to go to war. As a faithful Catholic, Frank would wake up very early each and every day to pray the Rosary in bed before getting up. He would then retire to the living room and catch up on the previous nights’ sports he had recorded or watch ESPN while Carol slept.  

Frank will be sorely missed by everyone he knew so well, especially his loving family.