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February 18 Today in OPC History

Bruce Coie

2020

 

The Rev. Bruce A. Coie passed away on February 18, 1998 at the age of 90. Born in 1907 in Minden, Nebraska, he moved to Oregon with his family and graduated from what is now Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon. After serving briefly as a high school teacher, he followed his older brother Glenn and enrolled at Westminster Seminary. After he graduated in 1936 he was ordained at the first General Assembly of the OPC on June 14, 1936.

Two days after his ordination, he married Rebecca Poinsett of Columbus, New Jersey. A year later, Bruce and Becky Coie were called to go to the mission field in India under the auspices of the Independent Board for Presbyterian Foreign Missions. But when it was learned that Becky was carrying their firstborn, it was determined the child should be born in America.

Thereafter, Bruce dedicated his efforts to establishing churches. Altogether, he pastored seven OP congregations, including churches in Trenton, New Jersey (1937–1938), Franklin Square, New York (1938–1945), Fairlawn, New Jersey (1945–1951), Volga, South Dakota (1951–1958), Evergreen Park, Illinois (1958–1964), Santee, California (1964–1971), and Carson, California (1971–1976). Although officially retired in 1976, Coie continued his active service in his presbytery, supplying pulpits, leading services in retirement homes, and conducting pastoral visitation. After his wife passed away in 1987, he accepted invitations to teach seminary courses in Korea and India. At the time of his death he was living at the Quarryville Presbyterian Retirement Home in Pennsylvania.

Picture: Bruce Coie and Bob Vining in 1992.

 

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