Eric Hayward Cote
Eric Cote, 58, of Simpsonville, SC, loving husband of Andrea Cote, was called home to be with his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on Thursday, April 18, 2024.
Eric was born on November 28, 1965 to Arthur and Sylvia Cote in Concord, NH. After Eric graduated from Marshfield High School in 1983, he went on to study Fire Protection Engineering at the University of Maryland, College Park.
After graduating in 1987, he started his first job at Atlantic Code Consulting, kickstarting his career in Fire Protection Engineering. He then went on to make contributions in the field at Rolf Jensen, Hughes Associates, and finally Jensen Hughes.
In 1986, Eric met Andrea in Marshfield, MA. Eric and Andrea went on to marry in 1989 and have two children, Alyssa and Kyle.
Eric loved fishing, attending Patriots games, tackling home improvement projects, gardening, mentoring his colleagues, and most especially, spending time with his family.
He is survived by his children, Alyssa (Nicholas) Rudman and Kyle (Hannah) Cote; parents Arthur and Sylvia Cote; siblings Tyler (Kathryn) Cote, Denise (Douglas) Stark, Danielle (Phillip) Eisenmann; mother-in-law Dollie Starsmeare; sister-in-law Cindy (Randy) Lee; nieces Darby Derren, and Annabelle; and nephews Dylan and Michael.
Services will be held at 2pm on April 27th at Rocky Creek Baptist Church, 1801 Woodruff Rd, Greenville, SC 29607. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to be made in his memory to the Rocky Creek Missions Offering at rockycreek.churchcenter.com/giving.
My dear Andrea –
My heart is breaking with this shocking news.
Please accept my sincerest sympathy for your loss. I am thinking of you and sending love and comfort during this difficult time. Eric was a wonderful husband and an amazing father, his legacy will always be remembered.
Deep Peace
Cindy Bleacher-Haag
Andrea,
I just read of Eric’s passing. I’m shocked and saddened by the news. I’ll always remember the times we had together on our trip to the BVI’s. You are in our thoughts and prayers.
Paul and Jane
Art, Sylvia, and Andrea,
I am so sorry to hear this news. Eric made a huge impact on my life. He was dedicated and caring and kept his career below his family. I will hold you in my heart and prayers. You will be lifted up in my church on Sunday.
We were so grieved to hear of Eric’s passing. He has been such a wonderful addition to our family from the moment he and Andrea married. Their wedding was epic and they included all the children in the festivities! Their visit to Georgia in June and again for Thanksgiving are treasured memories. Thanks be to God who brought Eric into our family!
Andrea and family, my dearest condolences for all of you. I am deeply saddened to hear of your loss. I know that he was truly loved by all of you and he was a wonderful person.
Love, Valerie, Joe & Elliot
Zach and I send our deepest sympathies at Eric’s passing. Words are not enough at the news. love your neighbors. Barb &Zach p.
Andrea, Alyssa and Kyle,
I am so truly sorry. I can’t believe it has been 30 years since working with Eric in that basement office in Wellesley. I look back now and cannot count all of us who are better people for having had the privilege, and tremendous good fortune, of Eric’s mentoring and watching out for us through the decades. We shall never forget.
Sincerely, Bob Carasitti
My dear sweet friend,
I am so very sorry to hear about Eric. I wish I had the right words to say to make your pain and sadness fade away, but I know that’s not possible. Know that you and your precious family are in my prayers, and I pray that God will grant you his peace that passes all understanding during this very difficult time.
I am so sorry for your family’s great loss. You are all in my thoughts and prayers.
Andrea, Alyssa and Kyle…
I am one of the many colleagues Eric had that you’ve probably never met…or even heard of…but I will echo Mr. Carasitti’s comments, we are all so very fortunate to have had our encounters with Eric. In addition to making us better people, Eric made us all better engineers. I hope it helps to ease your sorrows for you to know that Eric has helped so many through his devoted career as a fire protection engineer. To help others without the expectation of a thank you is a true gift in life. He spoke proudly of his family, and he had many more gifts than you can imagine. He will always be fondly remembered.
Andrea
I am completely heartbroken for you and your family. Eric was a great mentor and friend. I remember simply walking into his doorway, him looking up from his computer and then just talking … about anything and everything and for as long as the conversation needed to happen. No matter how busy Eric was he always had time for his colleagues, co-workers and friends. The world lost a great man. All my respect Eric, my friend! Thank you for all your guidance and knowledge. Rest in peace. Go Brian Hoyer! Lol.
Always your friend. Until we meet again …
To Eric’s Family,
I had the honor of working with Eric for 25 years in Boston. Eric changed firms and so did I but we always managed to continue to work together. We always referred to Eric as the smartest man in America as he seemed to know everything in our industry and if he didn’t he never stopped searching until he figured out the answer. He was very thoughtful in everything he did. Always available with younger staff to mentor and always patient with us older folk. Eric was a good friend and always was there for me and will always have a special place in my heart. He will be missed.
Please accept my sincerest condolences.
Mark Sardegna
I worked with Eric on a few fire protection projects and am shocked and saddened by this news. Condolences to his family, friends and colleagues
Our sincere condolences to your family. We’ll keep you in our thoughts and prayers
Diana & Bob Benedetti
Eric was a joy to work with and, as Mark mentioned above, the smartest man out there. A comfort to have on your team. I am so sorry for your loss.
Tom Kinslow
Dear Cote family-
My deepest heartfelt condolences to you. Collaborated with Eric on several buildings throughout my lengthy architectural career. He was a well respected, and favored consultant with encyclopedic knowledge. And I’m sure an even finer husband and father.
Thank you and rest in peace Eric.
Tom Jin
He will be missed by me, and all in the A&E Community who have worked with him for so many years. May his memory be a blessing.
Michael Strahm
Dear Art, Sylvia and family,
Larry and I are sad to hear of your son’s passing. Please know that you are all in our thoughts and prayers. 🙏
Kathie (Odermatt) and Larry Krasner
Dear Cote Family,
I am deeply saddened to receive the news of Eric’s passing. I had the pleasure of working with Eric for more than a decade. His deep knowledge and easy demeanor always made the most complex things, simple. He will be dearly missed.
Jacob Kain
Abundant prayers to Eric’s family during this difficult time. Although being a Dad and son was no doubt #1, Eric made a significant impact in this world, protecting humans from fires. Well done Eric, we’ll take it from here.
Glen Saraduke 86’
Please accept my heartfelt condolences. Eric was exceptional at his profession and was a well-admired person. We will miss him dearly.
Andrea, Alyssa, and Kyle,
Sending you all the love during this time. Eric was such a wonderful person and his spirit lives in with you all.
Dear Cote family,
Lost for words. Sorrow may never go away but may your hearts be filled with loving memories of your son, husband and father. My deepest gratitude for him for raising a great human whom I can count on in life. Thank you Mr. Cote. Godspeed.
I am shocked and saddened to hear of the news of Eric Cote’s passing. We worked together on numerous projects for over 20 years. I was always amazed at Eric’s insights and talents as he always made himself an integral part of every project team. His expertise and professionalism were a source of inspiration to us all. Although serious and focused, Eric always maintained a sense of humor that made him a joy to be around. Regardless of how hectic things might get, he always maintained a calm and professional demeanor. My impression was that Eric loved his work and he loved being the best at it. Eric will be long remembered for his intelligence, diligence, and dedication. My condolences to his family.
Ariel Brain, CBT Architects
My sincere condolences to the family. Eric was a wonderful person and colleague. He was a joy to work with on the many projects we collaborated on for over 25 years. He was the go-to for the most complex code challenges on our projects. I will sorely miss him both personally and professionally.
Liam O’Sullivan, CBT Architects
My condolences and prayers go out to the Cote family. I was a classmate of Eric’s at Maryland. He was a wonderful person to hang out with back in the day and I always enjoyed running into him at the many NFPA conventions and alumni dinners. He will be sorely missed.
God Bless,
Matt Ukleja
Dear Andrea and family ,
So sad to learn df Eric’s sudden passing . We are grateful for the wonderful opportunity we were given to sail the BVI’s together, and to be able to get to know you both!! May you experience the Lord’s comfort and peace ! We will see Eric again ! Love in Him , Jeff and Carin Mootz
My condolences to Eric’s family and his close friends. He and I worked together on many building projects over the years. Like a judge listening to a challenging court case, Eric was a great listener. He would take it all in and let you know the right thing to do. Then we would tell him what the client was hoping for, and he would come up with some of the most creative solutions you could never imagine.
Eric, if you can hear me, and I believe you can, thank you friend for all the exceptional advice you provided over so many years. It was always a pleasure to collaborate with you. Wishing peace and love for you and your family.
I am stunned by the news and offer my very sincere condolences to all who were close to Eric. I worked with Eric on numerous projects over more than 25 years. He was always a gentleman, very smart, and immensely creative. I considered him not only a colleague but a friend. I will miss him. To his family, I offer my deepest sympathy.
Andrea & Family,
I am sending all my love and peace to you. He was such a beautiful soul in life and I am so blessed to have been a part of his journey. All my Love…
We are saddened to hear of the loss of one of our senior University of Maryland, Fire Protection Engineers. Eric has had a distinguished career and has been exceptionally involved with his Church and community and loved by his family and friends. Eric will be missed. He has had a positive influence on so many lives and we are all better for having known him.
Please accept our sincere condolences from the University of Maryland Alumni Club.
Stewart Levy, ’84, President.
Andrea,
I am so sorry to hear this sad news. Eric and I go all the way back to the University of Maryland, where we graduated together and I then had honor of being in your wedding. Barb and I had so many great times with Eric and you, before you moved to Boston. Eric even lured me join RJA to replace him and I occasionally went to Boston to help him in the early years. He was an outstanding fire protection engineer, who I always consulted with, but I know he was an even better husband and father. Throughout the years we kept in touch, and we always looked forward to the Cote Family Christmas card. Barb and I will keep you all in our thoughts and prayers.
Paul & Barb Richards