Aubrey James Coward II

Aubrey James Coward passed away of cancer on Monday, February 16, in the early morning, at home. Aubrey was much beloved and survived by his wife of 50 years, Julia; his sister Patricia Fetzer; his uncle James Cox; his son Evan (Christina Manee), daughter Abigail Suarez, and son Alexander; his grandchildren Nicolas and Elizabeth Suarez; his niece Ashley Fowler and her son Gabriel Fowler and daughter Kally-Anna Fowler; many dear cousins; and many, many dear friends.

Aubrey was born in Bremerhaven, Germany, where his father was stationed with the United States Army. His early childhood as an “Army brat” was spent in places such as Germany, Hawaii, Mississippi, Georgia and South Carolina. The family finally settled in the mountains of Jackson County, North Carolina. There he attended public school and then Western Carolina University, where he earned a B.A. in History and a B.S. in Industrial Technology. Aubrey began his working career as a machinist, then rose to the position of Quality Engineer at Continental Automotive.

Motorcycle riding was a lifelong passion of Aubrey. He rode everything from Hondas and Harleys to Ducatis and BMWs. Aubrey retired in 2017, and for eight+ years he had the time to ride all he wanted. He and Julia and his dog Jim camped and travelled and spent many happy hours with family and friends.

Aubrey’s big smile, his all-out laugh, his blue eyes, his kindness, his perfect comic timing, his talent for tinkering and rigging a fix for just about anything will be terribly missed every day. He showed us what true courage and grace and dignity look like at the end of his life. It is our honor and privilege to say he belonged to us.

A Celebration of Life service will be held at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Asheville on Wednesday, March 4 at 11:00 am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the American Association for Cancer Research or St. John’s Episcopal Church.