Tom Coe

Tom Coe of Bainbridge Island, Washington died in a climbing accident in at Index Washington April 6, 2026.   

Tom was a devoted husband, father, a respected attorney, and accomplished climber.

Professionally he is remembered for his advocacy, and a tireless pursuit of justice.

Tom was from central Massachusetts, Over 43 years ago, I had  returned from a climbing in Alaska and  moved to New England. There I met Tom, who was a senior in High School, at the  local climbing crag Crow Hill.  Though 15 years older, our shared passion for climbing made us quick friends. Our first multi pitch climb together that spring before he graduated from High School was the Whitney Gilman Ridge on Cannon. Tom led the cruz pitch in the same quiet, calm, focused style which he always displayed. We teamed up climbing rock, and ice on Cathedral, Whitehorse, Cannon, Gunks, Willoughby VT and later in Yosemite, Index, and others.  

While Tom attended college in New Hampshire,  we shared many long car rides and scores of routes. 

While in college, in order to help fund Toms climbing trips out west I hired Tom to paint my home, resulting in several shades of brown, with improvement the following summer for the same purpose,  I hired Tom at the family business for industrial maintenance painting. Tom was teamed with my Downs Syndrome Uncle.  For many years my family remembered Tom for his patience and kindness. 

Tom was an accomplished climber, with a resume including many ascents in California, Colorado, Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, Alps and in the Canadien Rockies. 

Tom's character was firmly rooted in love, in forever learning, found laughing often, and a passion for life. 

A man of character.

I will miss him.

Tom was one of the most decent human beings I have known and a great family man.  If you would like to show support for his wife Shelagh and their two boys, you might consider making a donation to a gofundme site set up by their next-door neighbor.  Even a small donation with a kind note might help Shelagh and her boys understand how many people cared about their father.

https://www.gofundme.com/f/support-for-shelagh-englerts-family

One of my earliest clear memories of Tom was on his wedding day.  Being the truest of scrubs, I hadn’t realized I was actually invited to it, and so it was to my surprise that I found myself standing in the center of the aisle (wearing Carhartts) with what seemed like a hundred faces staring at me perplexed.  Surveying the strange scene, I finally found my bearings when I locked eyes with Tom, who in suit and tie, with his hands held together in front of him with an air of formality, grinned at me widely.  Mortified, I spun about face to see his bride, Shelagh, dressed in full gown, politely waiting for me to get the f out of the way.  We laughed about that for years.

Tom Coe was my friend and climbing partner.  For the last several years we had dozens of days on the rock together.  Over the years I’ve partnered up with a lot of great (and sometimes not so great) people. In that time I can say that without a doubt I have never met anyone who was as persistently positive and genuinely enthusiastic about not just climbing, but more importantly life in general as Tom.  His level of stoke was truly remarkable, sometimes annoyingly so.  Not wanting to be bothered with research, I would always leave our climbing itinerary up to him and so I would never know where we were going until we were at the base of a route, racking up.  Tom only chose multi pitch climbs because he wanted the mileage and the greater adventure that came with longer routes.  He wasn’t particularly fussy about rock quality or difficulty.  He was a sandbagger, albeit a jolly one.  And I don’t know how many times I set off from a belay cursing his name as he laughed his unmistakable laugh: a punctuated ‘ha-ha’.  Then would say in his fake German accent, “Come on James.  Time to climb”.  On our approaches he would talk lovingly about his family and the pride he had for his sons.  Always positive.  Tom was a public defender and on a recent drive to Smith Rock he mentioned a man he had recently defended who had stabbed another man to death.  “I genuinely like the guy,” he said.  “He’s really a nice gentleman.  I wish the best for him”.   That was Tom.  The world needs more people like him.  He will be greatly missed.

I have great memories of climbing with Tom in the late 80s/early 90s but over time, lost touch. I lived in Boulder, CO and used friends’ houses as base to prepare for the 24 hr marathon drive to Canada with many harrowing moments on the way driving a 67 ‘Chevy Impala, Though my climbing days have long since gone due to health issues, some of my most memorable adventures were accompanied by Tom. He was my go-to partner for some of my best ascents, including Salathe (spending the entire day in the rain rolled up in tarps burrito style on El Cap Spire), the Scenic Cruise in the Black Canyon, and last but not least, Andromeda Strain in the Canadian Rockies. I can still picture him racing up the lower slopes and casually ducking behind outcrops to avoid the persistent rockfall, urging me to speed up my somewhat laborious and deliberate ascent rate. He was always patient and encouraging with my second guessing or hesitations when a challenging crux was looming ahead ….you sure you don’t want this pitch Tom….?

He was such an intelligent and thoughtful person. It was no surprise when he went back to school to study law and pass the bar. I send condolences to his family and friends. His loss will be felt deeply by all who knew him. Rest in Peace Tom.

I only knew Tom though work in the federal justice system, but he got on very well. We share lots of stories and lots of laughs, and I loved hearing him talk about climbing. While I won't see him in person anymore, I will remember his kindness and our laughs, and I will forever imagine his spirit among the mountains he passionately climbed. Miss you, Tom!

Tom's memorial is May 17 at 1 pm on Bainbridge Island:

www.cookfamilyfuneralhome.com