Grady Walter Coker

Grady Walter Coker, age 47, passed away on Sunday, March 17th after a long war with metastatic cancer, a disease that was an annoyance to his incredible life.

It began in Augusta, GA on February 12, 1977, the son of Newton Jasper and Reagan Ransom Coker and the middle child of sisters, Josephine Ransom and Esther Giddens. He moved to Houston, TX when he was six and in middle school met his two best friends: Robert Gates and David Chao. He attended Washington & Lee University and achieved a degree in Economics. There in choir, he met his partner in crime, Leyla (Custer), and convinced her to date him over Texas toast and a cup of coffee. They married in 2000 and went on to have three perfectly flawed children: Claire Elizabeth (19), Grady Everett (17), and Watts Emerson (6). Walter and Leyla have a bond that transcends time.

Many know Walter for his success in commercial real estate investment sales and debt transactions with the help of his longtime friend and partner, Brian Crivella, but he had many other talents. Walter was an engaged father who taught his children character through humor, movies and music, and adventures. He wanted nothing more than to see them become honest and grateful humans, an accomplishment he fulfilled within his time on this Earth. Walter was a fiercely loyal and generous friend. He was a devoted son and sibling, accomplished home cook, author, avid traveler, art collector, and prankster. Walter is not someone you just knew. He redefined our conception of imagination, determination, integrity, loyalty and of course, sarcasm.

Walter would not want us to feel sorry for his physical struggles, but to celebrate his life and the ones each of us live. He would want his story to move us to cherish life, time, health, and each other. He wants us to live every day to its absolute fullest because he did.
We will miss him each and every day to the core of our beings, but we will never forget him and the inspiration he was and is.

A memorial service to honor his life will occur at Trinity United Methodist Church in McLean, VA on Monday, March 25th at 1 pm followed by a celebration of his life at Washington Golf and Country Club in Arlington, VA. For those interested in making a donation in honor of Walter, please consider MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX, who fought the battle alongside Walter with equal tenacity. We are so grateful for the time they gave to Walter.